During this period, journalists have been arrested while covering protests, particularly those over indigenous rights and land usage. These arrests demonstrate that more legal protections, or better application of existing legal protections, are necessary to protect journalists from underserved and uncalled-for mistreatment.
The system of control of information imposed by the legislation continues to fail in three basic scenarios: full disclosure of facts related to issues under investigation in aboriginal claims, territorial treaties, and land ownership; unjustifiable classification of information and restricted disclosure of stages of police investigations in matters that are a primary concern to the public, and the continued imposition of the Government's Bill C-51 (Anti-Terrorism Act of 2015).
Parliament continues the discussion to pass Canada Bill C-18, "An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada." The bill proposes a collective and voluntary negotiation between media outlets and platforms for payment for news content that tech giants distribute.
Amnesty International has called on the minister of Public Safety, Mark Mendicino, and British Columbia premier, David Eby, to comply with the United Nation's Special Rapporteur's recommendations to respect the Wet'suwet'en Nation's title and rights, including the right to free, prior, and informed consent.
As of 2023, the operating revenue of the Canadian Television industry was over six billion canadian dollars, that of the radio industry was almost two billion dollars, and notably both have been experiencing a gradual decline in revenue for the past decade. However, their reach (93% of the population) remains exceptionally high.
The rise in the use of the Internet has provided a new context for growth as magazines and newspapers lose popularity.
The most important players in the field are Bell Canada, Shaw-Rogers Communications, Corus Communications, Quebecor, and Cogeco, all of which provide internet and television services with billions of dollars in revenue each year. For example, Bell Canada accumulated over 23 billion dollars, while Shaw and Rogers reported equally high incomes.
Canadian Companies such as TC Transcontinental, Postmedia, and Torstar work primarily in the media publishing market and are slowly branching out into other potential sources of revenue, such as digital offerings and even packaging.
The two largest news conglomerates, The Globe and Mail and the National Post, circulate widely on different platforms throughout the country. The CBC is taxpayer funded and, per its statute, produces two hours of news daily, locally and nationally in other provinces, and broadcasts a separate 24/7 news channel.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is owned by the government and is supposed to operate "independently." However, the current government has reiterated that "media freedom remains an important part of democratic societies and essential to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms."
