Making news while fighting for news
A union that’s leading efforts to save Canada’s media industry isn’t afraid of making news itself, leader Jerry Dias told a conference in Kelowna this weekend.
Dias spoke Saturday to Unifor media workers from across Canada at the Coast Capri Hotel.
Unifor has become a major voice on Canada’s political scene since its founding in 2013, the union president said.
“We’ve adopted the role of Canada’s unofficial grenade thrower,” he said about Unifor’s advisory role in the North American free trade talks. “I say and can say things that others can’t. (Foreign Affairs Minister) Chrystia Freeland can’t get up and say that she’s being screwed by the Mexican bargaining team, but I can. She can’t get up and say that the U.S. is being a horse’s ass . . . but we can and I do.”
Unifor has been active in election campaigns that saw Ottawa, B.C. and Alberta swing to the left and the favoured Progressive Conservatives lose in Ontario in 2014.
“I want to be a bold organization that that represents working people. I want to be part of an organization that has a political voice,” said Dias, who’s a familiar face on national TV news shows.
The union is now fighting to protect Canada’s media industry and promote Canadian content through campaigns such as the Media Action Plan and FairPlay Canada.
“We’re starting to make inroads,” said Dias. “The government is starting to understand they must do something.”
The Media Action Plan urges Ottawa to promote and protect local news from the digital onslaught. FairPlay is anti-piracy campaign, supported by 25 organizations, including Unifor and Canadian media companies.
A strong media is essential to democracy, said Dias. “If you want to run a dictatorship, you silence the voices.”
Unifor Media Council chair Jake Moore said the public is joining the fight to save journalism.
“The public are starting to realize that journalism is extremely important to our democracy. When we lose journalists, politicians go unchecked, communities lose their voices . . .Who will hold politicians accountable? Who will uncover injustice in our communities and who will tell our Canadian stories?
“There is more scrutiny than ever before. The public is calling out fake news,” he said, citing Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford, who hired his own reporter to cover his campaign.
In its February budget, the federal government committed $10 million a year for five years to support independent, non-governmental organizations that provide local journalism in under-serviced communities. A conference committee approved a recommendation urging Ottawa to use those funds to hire more reporters. Unifor’s outspoken ways extend to its dispute with the Canadian Labour Congress and some American-based unions. The CLC kicked Unifor out of the national labour body.
“We’re having a hell of a fight within the labour movement and I’m OK with that because it’s going to change,” said Dias. “We don’t mind being controversial. We don’t mind being the organization that’s going to be at the forefront of change.”
The conference updated Unifor’s media policy. The policy addresses such issues as journalistic standards, Canadian content, media concentration, diversity, technology and the role of unions. One recommendation advocates tax incentives and credits for news consumers. Reporter Heather Gillis of NTV spoke about being harassed on camera and steps she took to fight back. Ottawa Citizen reporter Matthew Pearson talked about his study into the effects of trauma on reporters.
Former CBC reporter Natalie Clancy told delegates not to tweet while they’re drunk.