NDP government introduces motion to support local journalism

The NDP government has introduced a motion that would see a committee established to support local journalism in the province.

The measure was introduced during the throne speech last month and this week government leader Nahanni Fontaine introduced a motion to establish an all-party committee to explore “the future of local journalism, including rural and cultural media such as French, Filipino, Punjabi, and Chinese language publications with the mandate to consider matters of public support for journalism, and report its conclusion to the Assembly within 30 days of the start of Fall Sitting 2025.”

“It’s never too early to look at supporting the free press here in Manitoba and whether it be paper, radio, online media. We just want to see if there’s a way to support papers across Manitoba (in the) different ways we share information with Manitobans and in communities as well,” said MLA for St. Boniface Robert Loiselle.

The opposition said it will support the bill with the following amendments covering all ethnicities and non-official languages so long as they don’t promote hate speech or “undermine the Manitoba values of inclusivity and respect for all races, religions, and backgrounds.”

“We look forward to continued debate and to voting on the government’s motion once our reasonable amendment is considered,” said opposition house leader Derek Johnson.

The committee will have four members designated by the NDP caucus, and two members designated by the PC caucus.

Loiselle said once the committee is struck then different funding models will be looked at that would support local news outlets.

There are more than 50 newspapers in the province.