While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Davis Legree.
The Liberal government’s upcoming budget will include the $600 million investment in Canada’s cultural sector, but it will not outline how the money will be allocated, according to a source familiar with the matter. The source, granted anonymity by The Wire Report to speak freely, said cultural stakeholders have been told $600 million will be “committed” in Budget 2026, but...
A proposal to ban sports betting advertisements is picking up steam on Parliament Hill. For years, Ontario Sen. Marty Deacon has sought to curtail the number of gambling ads shown to Canadians during broadcasts of hockey games, football matches, and other sporting events. Bill S-211, introduced in the Senate last year, would create a national framework for regulating sports betting...
Officials are working to claw back funding given to organizations under the Online News Act after the independent decision-making body opted to issue payments before verifying applications. In a CRTC report published last week, an auditor found several news publishers or broadcasters did not qualify for the level of funding received during the first round of payments under the Online...
Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard has been informed that Canada’s access-to-information law will be updated in the coming months, though the scope of the changes has not yet been disclosed.
Ottawa’s request for the CRTC to review mandatory Cancon payments for online streamers represents “political interference” and risks the regulator’s independence, according to a challenge received by the commission. Last week, John P. Roman submitted a Part 1 application, a copy of which has been obtained by The Wire Report, questioning the legality of the Liberal government’s handling of CRTC...
Canada’s leading cultural organizations have been told they will not receive any new funding from major U.S. streaming companies after Ottawa signalled a policy reversal under the Online Streaming Act.
The Liberals are preparing to eliminate all funding requirements for U.S. companies under the Online Streaming Act. The news comes as the policy, which requires companies like Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., and Netflix Inc. to allocate a portion of Canadian revenues to fund domestic news and entertainment programming, faces strong pushback from American industry and political players. In 2024, the...
The federal government has launched a consultation on its direct funding supports for the news media industry. In a statement to The Wire Report, a spokesperson for the Department of Canadian Heritage confirmed Ottawa has conducted “targeted stakeholder engagement activities” with news companies, magazine publishers, and Indigenous media groups, which started during the spring.
Ottawa is not yet considering bringing forward legislation to reinstate news content on Facebook and Instagram, as Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller said he still wants to push Meta Platforms Inc. in ongoing negotiations.
Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller’s recent comments about the CRTC have renewed questions regarding political interference with the independent regulator. After Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc. (CPAC) announced it was cutting two original programs — PrimeTime Politics and L’Essentiel — Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) posted a statement on social media saying he was “thinking of the employees affected by layoffs”...
As thawing bilateral relations between Canada and China produce new trading partnerships on electric-vehicles and agricultural products, it would “not be wise” for Prime Minister Mark Carney to revisit the government’s 5G ban on the Chinese telecoms firm Huawei, according to former Canadian Security Intelligence Service director Ward Elcock.
Liberal MP Rob Oliphant says he is tired of seeing only straight couples being intimate in movies and television shows. It’s partly why his interest was piqued when he saw trailers for the new Crave series Heated Rivalry about two young, closeted male hockey players who develop a secret sexual relationship, while their on-ice rivalry plays out in public.
The originator of “enshittification,” an increasingly popular term used to describe decaying digital products and services, is cautioning against the Liberal government’s support for artificial intelligence, which he calls the “money-losingest technology ever seen.” “[The government] should be serious about the future of AI, instead of trying to be buzzword-compliant or following the herd,” said Canadian writer Cory Doctorow, author...
As Google, Meta, and other American-owned big-tech firms pervade Canada’s media landscape, Ottawa is considering reviewing the CBC’s mandate in an effort to strengthen cultural independence and further protect the country’s democracy, political players say. And, according to opposition critics, former CBC officials, and cultural advocates, an update is desperately needed. A lot has changed since the federal government last...
The Liberals are preparing to bring forward new standalone legislation to address harmful content found online, reviving a Trudeau-era bill that failed to become law before this past year’s federal election, says a government source. The source, who asked to remain anonymous in order to speak freely, told The Hill Times the government was developing a new version of the...
Several members of the government’s artificial intelligence task force say they are worried Ottawa has already fallen behind in the global race to capitalize on a burgeoning economic driver, but they believe the forthcoming AI strategy may provide an opportunity for Canada to catch up. Louis Têtu, executive chairman of the AI software multinational Coveo, said Canada has long suffered...
“You could have an incredible political fallout because the prime minister doesn’t have the usual mechanism and folks that could help [him] manage a crisis because he’s all on his own,” said Sen. Hassan Yussuff. “I think the government needs to scramble now to get to get ready [for the CUSMA review].”
Calling all politicos and film junkies in the nation’s capital! REEL Politics is set to screen eight political films at Ottawa’s legendary ByTowne Cinema, beginning this fall. The festival will feature a wide range of movies, from the French-language drama Les Ordres to the newly-released documentary Prime Minister, which explores the resignation of New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern.
In advance of a widely-anticipated federal election campaign, political strategists, elected officials, and aspiring candidates gathered in Toronto earlier this week for the Next Campaign Tech Showcase. The non-partisan event featured expert panels and tech exhibitors, allowing politicos to see up close the latest technology for strategic campaigning.
In two months, the Canadian political world will congregate in Toronto for the Next Campaign Summit, a one-day nonpartisan event devoted to all the latest tech and tactics used in election campaigns across the world. To tee up the summit, iPolitics chatted with Brett Thalmann, a founding partner at Nexus Strategic Consultants and one of the event’s organizers. Thalmann spoke...
Despite Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s call for businesses to “fire your lobbyist,” many in the government relations industry aren’t worrying about their professional futures. In an op-ed for the National Post earlier this month, Poilievre called lobbyists “useless” and “overpaid,” as part of broader message outlining how his government’s policies will not be shaped by Ottawa insiders, but rather by...
The Liberal caucus is preparing for a vote marathon on the sustainable jobs bill that could see MPs sit well into the weekend, according to a senior government source. After facing countless delays and some 20,000 amendments at committee, Bill C-50, which seeks to establish a framework that would guide Canada’s economy towards a net-zero future, is set to come...
Heading into 2023, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson had five distinct priorities. He wanted to improve relationships with the provinces, implement the critical minerals strategy, green the grid, create sustainable jobs, and advance economic reconciliation. While most of those goals are long-term objectives, Wilkinson caught up with iPolitics to provide a progress update. In this interview, he talks...
In an exclusive interview with iPolitics, Canada’s environment minister talks about why people need to embrace electric-vehicles, as well as why Ontario is to blame for any delays facing Highway 413.
Ahead of the holidays, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay spoke with iPolitics about the code, as well as what he thinks of the amended Bill C-234 and who he believes is the funniest person at the cabinet table.