SoVote

Martin Shields

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
Conservative

Bow River
Alberta
Voting Attendance: 65%
Expenses Last Quarter: $127,198.82

Government Page

Context: House Hansard - 217 - Jun/20/23

Jun/20/23 8:05:10 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-18

Madam Speaker, in my riding there are 13 weekly newspapers. The NDP voted against a number of them receiving it because one person is the proprietor, owner and reporter. The NDP voted against our amendment to support small local media in my riding. I think the MP from Saskatchewan would probably respond, as it is similar in her riding, but the NDP voted against that.

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Context: House Hansard - 217 - Jun/20/23

Mr. Martin Shields (Bow River, CPC)

Jun/20/23 1:17:24 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-18

Madam Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's work on the committee, but I remember that the Conservatives put forward an amendment to have one newspaper reporter. He lists many papers, and they are not the non-daily papers in my riding. I have many who are single, yet he voted against having a single reporter qualify for this. He takes great pride in talking about the worker bees and that we got it to one and a half but I am asking this: What about the ones in my riding? There are not any of the papers he has named in my riding. He has named papers in major cities, not in the small communities that I support. Why did he vote against our amendment to support the small weekly papers like in my riding?

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Context: House Hansard - 217 - Jun/20/23

Mr. Martin Shields (Bow River, CPC)

Jun/20/23 11:25:22 a.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-18

Madam Speaker, we have just heard some comments about newspapers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, but not one of those are in my riding. I talked to those newspapers and asked what they wanted, and they told me. They are independent and do not belong to that group. They want the $60-some million back that would be given to the foreign nationals. They want that money for advertising, the 30%. They do not want that to be given to internationals. Also, when the minister said that we supported tech giants, he should go to committee and listen to my comments about big tech. It was the Liberals who agreed with me on big tech, while hammering away at it. You did not find me in the committee supporting big tech. We did not do it. I did not do it. The Liberals agreed with me on how I opposed the big tech. Therefore, when you keep saying that things like that, you should listen to the committee and my comments.

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All Topics

Context: House Hansard - 64 - May/4/22

Mr. Martin Shields (Bow River, CPC)

May/4/22 2:07:53 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-18

Mr. Speaker, last week I met with representatives from independent newspapers who have concerns about Bill C-18. The government has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into foreign online advertising giants Facebook and Google, not local, independent, southern Alberta-owned weekly papers, like the Brooks Bulletin, Strathmore Times, The Chestermere Anchor and the Crowsnest Pass Herald. Bill C-18 dictates that media companies must be “qualified Canadian journalism organizations”. Many independent papers run their own reporting, editing and publishing and do not qualify. Independents that do not qualify as “Canadian journalism organizations” also miss out on the labour tax credit and the news subscription tax credit. Weekly papers play an important role in municipalities to inform residents in our communities. We should be supporting Canadian weekly papers, not leaving them behind in favour of billion-dollar conglomerates.

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Member of Parliament

Martin Shields