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As a new Liberal-sponsored petition targets Postmedia’s American owners and their alleged “influence” on domestic journalism, NDP MP Gord Johns says the federal government needs to take action to “plug the industry's economic leak” of jobs and tax subsidies south of the border.

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It calls for legislation to require majority Canadian ownership and control of all print, digital, and other non-audio-visual news media “to protect Canadian sovereignty, ensure journalism integrity, and guarantee that our media reflects Canadian priorities and values.” The petition argues that independent Canadian journalism is “essential to democracy, ensuring accountability, accuracy, and representation of Canadian voices,” and points to policies established in Australia and France as models that can be followed to “safeguard domestic control” of news media in Canada.

While said legislation would have far-reaching impacts for many outlets operating in Canada, including Politico and Bloomberg, the petition singles out Postmedia, arguing that its majority ownership by Chatham places “a key part of Canada’s news media under foreign influence,” and “introduces perspectives shaped by American political and cultural priorities,” which risks “skewing news coverage, and “eroding public trust.”

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