Who Controls Canada's Media?
February 13, 2003
Dr Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of 捆绑SM社区, will welcome Mme Diane Lemieux, Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications for the launch of the annual conference of the 捆绑SM社区 Institute for the Study of Canada. At 6:15 this evening, Thursday February 13, in the Salon des Saisons of the Omni Mont-Royal Hotel, Mme Lemieux will deliver the inaugural speech. Over the next two days, (February 14-15) some 400 participants will study various aspects of the issue: Who Controls Canada's Media?
During her speech, Minister Lemieux will describe her government's approach to the issue of press concentration. Media representatives are invited to meet with Mme Lemieux during a press briefing to be held at 7:00 pm in the conference press room (Salon Hiver).
Every year since 1995, the 捆绑SM社区 Institute for the Study of Canada has organized a major public bilingual conference on issues relevant to current public policy concerns. "Our goal is to assemble a broad cross-section of people involved in the media throughout Canada," says Antonia Maioni, director of the 捆绑SM社区 Institute for the Study of Canada. Professor Maioni is co-director of the conference organizing committee, together with Michael Goldbloom, former publisher of the Montreal Gazette.
More than fifty decision makers, actors and media observers will examine every aspects of hot topics such as media ownership ("The Proprietors: Do Too Few Control Too Much"), freedom of expression ("Have the Journalists Lost Control?") or the simmering discontent of readers, listeners and viewers ("Do the Media Have Undue Influence on Civic Life?") to mention only a few of the many issues that will be addressed during the conference.
Speakers will include: heads of large private or public communications corporations, such as Robert Prichard (Torstar Corporation), Phyllis Yaffe (Broadcast Group, Alliance Atlantis), Andr茅 Pr茅fontaine (M茅dias Transcontinental), Alain Gourd (Bell Globemedia), Robert Rabinovitch (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and Paule Beaugrand-Champagne, (T茅l茅-Qu茅bec); newspaper and magazine editors, such as Edward Greenspon (The Globe and Mail), Alain Dubuc (Le Soleil), and Anthony Wilson-Smith (Maclean's); TV network anchors, journalists, editorialists and columnists, such as Peter Mansbridge (The National, CBC), Lisa Laflamme (Canada AM, CTV), Andr茅 Pratte (La Presse), Michel C. Auger (Le Journal de Montr茅al), and Andrew Coyne (The National Post); former journalists such as Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, University of British Columbia professor, Donna Logan, and Michel Roy, Chair of the Quebec Press Council.
