The Independent Press Gallery of Canada (IPG) is sounding the alarm after Canada fell to 21st place in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, down 7 spots in just one year, and 13 spots since 2015. The sharp decline coincides with increased state control over media, both financially and legislatively.
The Liberal government has expanded censorship through Bill C-11, granting the CRTC power over online content, Bill C-18, which disrupted news access by forcing tech platforms to pay government-approved media, and new censorship pledges from Prime Minister Mark Carney to regulate so-called “online pollution.”
Meanwhile, Carney has pledged $150 million more to the CBC, already receiving $1.4 billion annually, while legacy outlets enjoy a $600 million bailout—funding that rewards loyalty and punishes independence.
This has created a two-tier media system, with subsidized outlets, praised and promoted, and independent outlets, denied access and smeared by state-funded competitors.
At the French-language leaders’ debate, CBC broadcasters misrepresented independent journalists as illegitimate and disruptive, despite their legal right to report and video evidence that independent reporters were the targets of harassment.
The RSF warns that economic fragility and government interference are the leading global threats to press freedom. In Canada, they are government policy.
The IPG calls for an end to censorship legislation, a rollback of media subsidies, and a fair press accreditation process.
Sheila Gunn Reid
President, Independent Press Gallery of Canada