Discussion · Government Orders
Alexis Deschênes Bloc Québécois
“I want the House to vote for our motion to support local media. Local news gives people a voice and helps communities talk to each other. These outlets are losing ad money to social media platforms, which push people into echo chambers and divide us.”
“Mr. Speaker, let us talk a little bit about the importance of what we are proposing today, the purpose of our motion. In the Gaspé, we are lucky to have quite a few local media outlets. What do those people do? They connect members of the community. What I mean by that is that they create a space for dialogue where people can have democratic discussions. They give a voice to the voiceless. They let marginalized people, members of civil society and elected officials express themselves. They help foster a collective dialogue. I believe in that. Freedom of expression and dialogue ensure that, in society, discussion leads to identifying promising solutions. This is a traditional media model that we need to support during this revenue crisis. Social media and major platforms are eating into these outlets’ revenue streams because there are too many advertisers paying to advertise on social media. We all use social media, but let us think about how it works. The idea behind social media is to create echo chambers, to make society as individualistic as possible so that those who think alike all end up together in their own little corner. We need to support our local media to counterbalance what social media is doing by making society individualistic. That is why members should support our motion.”
Mr. Speaker, let us talk a little bit about the importance of what we are proposing today, the purpose of our motion. In the Gaspé, we are lucky to have quite a few local media outlets. What do those people do? They connect members of the community. What I mean by that is that they create a space for dialogue where people can have democratic discussions. They give a voice to the voiceless. They let marginalized people, members of civil society and elected officials express themselves. They help foster a collective dialogue. I believe in that. Freedom of expression and dialogue ensure that, in society, discussion leads to identifying promising solutions. This is a traditional media model that we need to support during this revenue crisis. Social media and major platforms are eating into these outlets’ revenue streams because there are too many advertisers paying to advertise on social media. We all use social media, but let us think about how it works. The idea behind social media is to create echo chambers, to make society as individualistic as possible so that those who think alike all end up together in their own little corner. We need to support our local media to counterbalance what social media is doing by making society individualistic. That is why members should support our motion.