✍️ Policy Explainer #1: What’s at Stake for Canadian Media in Budget 2025
Every federal budget tells a story about what and who matters most.
As Parliament gets ready for Budget 2025, it’s clear that the future of Canadian media is at a turning point.
Will this budget strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada and local journalism or allow more of our stories to crumble under the weight of foreign tech giants?
At Friends of Canadian Media, we believe it’s time to make choices that protect what makes us uniquely Canadian: our voices, our storytellers, and our democracy. That’s why we’ve submitted three key recommendations to Parliament – practical, common-sense steps to safeguard Canadian media and cultural sovereignty.
Why This Budget Matters
For decades, Canada’s cultural identity has been anchored by a simple idea: Canadians should see and hear themselves in the media they consume.
But that ideal is under threat.
Foreign tech giants dominate our digital ad markets. Local newsrooms are closing at record speed. And now, CBC/Radio-Canada, the institution Canadians trust most for news, faces potential cuts of up to 15 %, even after Canadians voted for a government that promised to strengthen it.
🏛️ Our Recommendations for Budget 2025
1️. Protect and Strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada
The government must not impose new budget constraints on CBC/Radio-Canada.
Instead, Budget 2025 should fulfill its election promise to provide an initial $150 million boost in annual funding and table a clear timeline for bringing CBC/Radio-Canada’s long-term budget in line with other national public broadcasters.
A strong CBC means a strong democracy, one that serves every Canadian, in both official languages, from coast to coast to coast.
👉 Learn more about Friends of Canadian Media’s work defending CBC/Radio-Canada
👉 Related background: Canadian Heritage – The Future of CBC/Radio-Canada
2️ Repatriate Canadian Digital Advertising Dollars
Due to a loophole in federal tax low, billions of Canadian advertising dollars flow each year to foreign tech platforms like Meta and Google leaving our local news outlets under-funded and understaffed.
Budget 2025 should introduce incentives to repatriate those digital ad revenues so they can be redirected into Canadian news programming and media jobs.
Every dollar kept in Canada helps sustain local reporting, community accountability, and independent journalism.
Read our updated Close the Loophole report: https://friends.ca/…/Close-the-Loophole-2024-update…
📈 See: Public Policy Forum – Uncovered: How to Build Back Election Coverage for a Better Democracy
3️. Earmark 25 % of Federal Advertising for Canadian Media
We’re urging the government to commit at least 25 % of its annual advertising spend to Canadian news outlets – particularly local and regional ones.
This single policy shift would inject much-needed stability into a struggling media ecosystem while sending a clear message that Canadian news matters.
👉 Learn more about Friends of Canadian Media’s advocacy for Canadian journalism
🔎 What’s at Stake
Without proper funding and smart policy:
- Local news deserts will continue to grow.
- Public trust in journalism will decline.
- Canadian storytelling will give way to foreign content.
But with the right investment, Canada can rebuild a media system that reflects our diversity, informs our democracy, and protects our sovereignty.
🗳️ The Big Picture
Friends of Canadian Media’s submission to the Standing Committee on Finance reminds Parliament that Canadians didn’t vote to weaken CBC/Radio-Canada, they voted to strengthen it.
This budget is the government’s chance to keep that promise.
💬 Canada’s Story Is Worth Protecting
Budget 2025 isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet, it’s about the headlines that keep our leaders accountable, the local voices that connect our communities, and the storytellers who remind us of who we are.
If we want a strong democracy, we need strong Canadian media.
That starts with keeping the government’s promise to strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada, bringing home the digital ad dollars that belong here, and making sure public money supports Canadian news – not Big Tech profits.
💜 Join us in standing up for Canadian voices. Subscribe to Friends of Canadian Media’s digital mailing list and help defend the future of Canadian storytelling.