Cost of extending journalism tax credit to TV, radio could reach $6 billion: Miller

Expanding eligibility for Canada’s journalism labour tax credit to include television and radio broadcasters could cost $6 billion, according to Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller. Appearing before the House heritage committee on May 5, Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) was grilled on the government’s promise to explore adding audio and audiovisual news outlets to the program, as outlined in last week’s spring economic update. Currently, the tax credit covers a portion of annual salaries for newsroom employees who spend at least three quarters of their time producing “written news content,” therefore excluding radio and television stations. In the government’s report, the Liberals did not explicitly commit to expanding the program, originally launched by Justin Trudeau in 2019, but vowed to consult with Canadians on the idea. “For the past few months in this committee, we’ve heard from news producers, media producers, and many spokespeople from regional media,” said Bloc Québécois MP Martin Champoux (Drummond, Que.) in French. “They’re unanimous about one thing — they want to get the same tax credit that is provided to written media.” “We were ready to hear a concrete announcement for this to come into effect soon… is a mixed message.” In response, Miller acknowledged the spring economic update did not include a firm commitment, but he said the policy change was “not a question of if, but rather of how.” “A tax credit requires the Department of Finance to implement it,” he continued in French. “And it could be equivalent to some $6 billion.” “So, it’s not a small amount.” Miller repeated the figure later in the meeting, but did not provide additional details or information regarding the underlying calculation. The initial iteration of the journalism labour tax credit was backed by $360 million, spread over five years (2019 to 2024). A policy update in 2023, which increased the yearly claim limit for salaries to $85,000, was projected to cost $320 million from 2023-24 to 2027-28, according to analysis from the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Miller said it could be difficult to determine which individual employees from television or radio networks would be eligible for the program, questioning whether the tax credit should be exclusively reserved for journalists, or whether producers and other newsroom personnel should qualify. “That work starts now,” he said. During the second half of Tuesday’s meeting, which featured senior officials from the Department of Canadian Heritage, Champoux revisited the $6 billion estimate, which he described as “way over the top.” “I don’t understand how he got to that figure,” said Champoux. “Unless the government decided to pay every journalist’s salary, $6 billion seems like a lot.” Francis Bilodeau, deputy minister of Canadian heritage, said the government would provide “more details later,” but the total cost depends on how the tax credit is designed and whether there will be a funding ceiling. “I can’t really speculate on what the exact figure will be,” said Bilodeau. “Forecasts for the value of the tax credit are done by the Department of Finance.” The Department of Finance did not immediately respond to The Wire Report’s request for confirmation or additional details on the calculation. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

Cost of extending journalism tax credit to TV, radio could reach $6 billion: Miller

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By Davis Legree
|May 6, 2026

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Cost of extending journalism tax credit to TV, radio could reach $6 billion: Miller

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By Davis Legree
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