KEVIN MATTHEWS ALSO MADE A PRESENTATION TO THE SENATE ON THE IRVING NEWSPAPERS MONOPOLY!!!

IMG_3799, originally uploaded by Oldmaison.

He told me that he made a presentation to the Senate. I checked the transcript and found it. I posted his little speech and I might as well add mine also.

It sure wasn't fair because we only had a few minutes. The Senate pick the people very carefully.

It wasn't fair. Where's the final report anyway???

Here’s both of our presentation to the Senate!!!


I will now ask Mr. Kevin Matthews to come forward, please.
Mr. Kevin Matthews, Max Media Ltd., As an individual: Thank you.
I am an independent documentary film-maker and I have worked in various parts of the media in New Brunswick, mostly television for the last 25 years. I am here today to speak to you about what I see as a very necessary, immediate and effective solution to the problem in New Brunswick of the Irving print media monopoly.
I, as well as many New Brunswick people and other Canadians who are aware of it, feel that it is unacceptable and contrary to a free independent media and the right to free speech that one family and corporate empire owns all but three of 15 English weekly and daily newspapers in New Brunswick.
As you may know, the Irving empire has begun to buy some of the French weeklies in the province. The Irving family, through its wide spectrum of industrial and business interests in New Brunswick, control much of the local and important resources in the province and essentially hold an iron grip on the economic well-being of all New Brunswick people. The Irving success is based on vertical integration, controlling resources, means of production and through sheer size, a large pool of labour. With such complete economic power in the hands of one family, a very big fish in a small pond, they also control much of the political life of people and their communities from the provincial legislature through to city governments, town councils and rural municipalities. With such enormous economic and political power, and with essentially complete control of the print media, it would be nothing less than absurd to suggest that the print media is in any manner independent, open, unbiased, fair or even objective. This is the fox in charge of the hen house, and control of the media is the fox having the key to the front door, who can choose when and how much that door will be open to actually shed light on the conditions under which the chickens must live.
My direct experience with the Irving media is through a launch of a documentary film titled Forbidden Forest, a film about the people of New Brunswick who depend on the forest for a livelihood. I made this documentary with the National Film Board of Canada and the CBC Nature of Things and it was released November 2004. As part of the Tidal Wave Film Festival, the launch of Forbidden Forest was a gala event organized by the CBC with Dr. David Suzuki present to help with the launch, but it was also the 25th Anniversary of the program, The Nature of Things, a double-billed event.
The venue for the event was the Fredericton Playhouse and was sold out to the point that there were a number of disappointed people out front who could not get tickets. Though there was good coverage on CBC Radio and TV and the French New Brunswick media, there was no coverage of the event in any of the New Brunswick English major Irving daily newspapers. With all of the advance press releases coming from the CBC and formal invitations sent out to the media and given that this was a film about forestry, a very important part of the Irving empire’s industrial complex, and that in New Brunswick we had, at that moment, one of Canada’s Top Ten most popular Canadians, Dr. David Suzuki, there was essentially nothing better than dead silence coming from the Irving media. And even for weeks following, Forbidden Forest toured the province in community screenings, there was no coverage in the Irving media.
So, here you have an issue, forestry, an important New Brunswick industry upon which a good part of the Irving empire is based, owning two large pulp and paper mills, two tissue production plants and eight sawmills spread throughout the province, and holds a significant interest in who knows how many other forest-related businesses, and on top of this the Irving empire controls at least one-third of the public Crown forest lands in the province.
Given the enormous power and control of this family dynasty over the forest industry, then I ask, does anyone in their right mind truly believe that with an issue so important to the Irving empire and to the people of this province, that the launch of the film, Forbidden Forest, did not in any way warrant any coverage in any of the Irving daily print media? Did not Dr. David Suzuki, so popular to Canadians, coming to New Brunswick not warrant some acknowledgement in any of the major Irving media? The solution to the problem --
The Chairman: You are running into overtime, so please give us your solutions.
Mr. Matthews: The solution to the problem of the media monopoly is a simple one. The federal government, through Heritage Canada or other Government agencies, must establish a trust fund that will allow for the creation of an English daily newspaper that will be independent of any political manipulation.
There is an example of this that now exists in this province in the French print media, and that is the daily French newspaper, L’Acadie Nouvelle. L’Acadie Nouvelle operates under an $8 million trust fund established by the Federal and Provincial Governments. The trust fund guarantees pretty much the survival of an unbiased, objective, independent voice in the French print media. To create at least one independent English newspaper in New Brunswick will give the English-speaking, and French-speaking people for that matter, the trust that at least they have the possibility of getting the whole story or at least objective views on issues that concern all the people of New Brunswick. If an independent English voice in the print media does not exist, then we can only expect to continue to live in a level of darkness when it comes to knowing the full truth about issues of importance.
The Chairman: I take it that this is the film?
Mr. Matthews: That is the film, yes, and there is the brochure.
Senator Munson: Well, you have made your point.
Mr. Matthews: Too quickly.
Senator Munson: Well, I know that.
The Chairman: No, but we have your document.
Senator Munson: On the issue of a trust fund, how can a newspaper be independent if it gets money from federal and provincial governments?
Mr. Matthews: Well, the way the trust fund, as I understand it, is set up with L’Acadie Nouvelle, it is invested in stocks and they draw from the interest from that. Then they pay for their operating expenses on top of that, outside of that.
Senator Trenholme Counsell: We were told that that money is only used for distribution purposes. We asked about it.
Mr. Matthews: Well, yes, distribution costs, whatever.
The Chairman: I think the point there is that L’Acadie Nouvelle cannot go just on the basis of the trust fund. It also has to have readers, advertisers, subscribers, the whole thing. The model that they outlined to us was one where they specifically separated out, if you will, the subsidy element of it from journalism.
Mr. Matthews: Sure, sure, I understand that, but then, in reality, I believe that if you had an English newspaper, in effect, it would end up being able to cover its own costs and would not need a trust fund. I think there is enough interest in this province for an independent paper. People are tired of not getting the news.
Any other questions?
The Chairman: You have another 30 seconds to give your opinion.
Mr. Matthews: Yes, well, I have driven all the way from Fredericton. This takes me two hours.
The Chairman: I am so sorry.
Mr. Matthews: I came all the way from the north of the province, I got home at three o’clock in the morning, to turn around and come down here to tell you something that, basically, we live in a “futilist” state effectively, the way things are set up at this moment. I mean you had a past editor saying that, effectively, the Irvings would not squeeze every nickel out of the newspaper, but the Irving empire is squeezing every nickel out of the people of this province. And the problem is that we are not hearing about it, we are not getting the full story. Two issues of late, the LNG and the tax-break that they got on that, I do not know how much you know about that.
The Chairman: We are learning.
Mr. Matthews: And Lepreau, for example. There is no investigative reporting at all as to what is actually behind that. When you talk about the Assessment Act in this province, you are talking about Louis Robichaud, who fought for ten years against K.C. Irving to bring in fair taxation in this province and it is being destroyed in one stroke, and you do not get any background information on what the Assessment Act is. If you actually look at the Assessment Act you can see, in fact if any reporter cared to look at the Assessment Act, you can see that, in fact, the Irvings get huge exemptions as it is now in anything to do with their petroleum. So, we do not get the news, period. What we get is basically regurgitation. We do not get investigative reporting, even in the slightest sense of investigative reporting.
The Chairman: Mr. Matthews, thank you so much.
Mr. Matthews: Yes.
The Chairman: I appreciate your frustration.
Mr. Matthews: I am not frustrated. I am just trying to get my point across with what little time I have.
The Chairman: Your frustration with us and our time limits. That is what I am saying I appreciate. The issues you raise are serious and important and you have made your case eloquently, and we thank you very much for it. It will be on the record.
Mr. Matthews: You are welcome.

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The Chairman: Good for you. What a lovely closing line. Thank you, Mr. Tobin.
Our next presenter, senators, is Mr. Charles LeBlanc.
Mr. Charles LeBlanc, As an individual: I just want to apologize. I am what you call a blogger, so I was in and out on the computer down there. There are hundred people outside who want to know what is going on.
I have a point of concern before I start. I made about a month ago, two months ago, I said that I wanted to make a presentation. In the past, I made a presentations in front of standing committees in New Brunswick. They told me yesterday I only have four minutes. I was disallowed to make a presentation like everybody else. Could you tell me why?
The Chairman: Essentially, sir, the problem is we only have a little over a day and a half. We would like to have more; we would like to have a week, but we do not.
Mr. LeBlanc: Who chose these people?
The Chairman: The Steering Committee of the Transport and Communications Committee has spent a long time looking at all the long list of witnesses, and I am very sorry if you feel you have not been treated justly, but we are doing the best we can.
Mr. LeBlanc: I just wanted to go on record because I was told this morning that B.C. has four minutes, and also New Brunswick. You cannot compare the population of New Brunswick to B.C. I mean there is more media, there are more newspapers in B.C. than here. Here we have a major problem.
But I have ADHD, attention deficit hyperactive disorder. I like to take my time on issues, but this morning I apologize for the way I am. I hitchhiked a ride from Fredericton. Sorry, I should take my hat off, but I hitchhiked from Fredericton to be here. So I just want to go on record that I have been, as the Senator from Sackville knows, that I have been very outspoken. I am the most outspoken citizen in this province for this issue. So what I will try to do, I would like to relax so I can concentrate on the issue at hand, but I have four minutes.
The Chairman: I will give you five minutes, how is that?
Mr. LeBlanc: Thank you very much.
The Chairman: Because you hitchhiked all the way here.
Mr. LeBlanc: I hitchhiked, yes, and believe me, I had to listen to two writers who were complaining about what I am talking about. They agree with me 100 per cent.
Okay, here we go and I will try to put everything that I can. I hate to rush, but when I was told yesterday four minutes, I said, “Oh my God, that is almost impossible.”
I was born in Memramcook. I lived in Saint John for 18 years. I have worked at the Irving Shipyard, and I am now living in Fredericton. I started to write letters to the editor l’Évangéline, that is a French paper, and I enjoy writing. I enjoy spreading my views with other people. I have a column in the River Valley News. It has not been Irving bought yet, maybe, I do not know why. Maybe the Irvings know what is going on through this paper. That is why they are not buying it. I am allowed to write anything I want. I will leave you a copy. It is a bi-weekly paper that is now owned by Irving.
During the frigate program, I was very well-known in Saint John to write my letters to the editor. I wrote and got printed 500 letters to the editor. Not too many people in this province can say that. If I wrote letters supporting the Irvings, they would turn around and say, “Oh, what a suck-up.” If I wrote against them, they would say, “Hey, don’t you know who your boss is?” Well, on both sides, I could have went, but I had the right to condemn the Irvings, had the right to praise the Irvings.
Then the Telegraph Journal, then something happened, I was working for a company, then I had a protest going on in front of the Golden Ball and the next thing you know there was a story in the Evening Times Globe stating that Charles LeBlanc was fired three times. That was not true, and they allowed me to write a little letter to the editor, but the damage had already been done by Saint Johners to know the truth. That is how the Irvings run it.
We heard a lot about Jamie Irving. Jamie Irving is a nice kid. I met Jamie, a very nice guy. When I found out he was the editor, the publisher of the King’s County Record -- I am talking fast because I only have four minutes, I am trying, there are some many issues -- when I found out that Jamie was the publisher of the King’s County Record, I said “Okay, he is a good kid.” Then I walked by through McAllister Place and then I saw a used picture on the King’s County Record, “J.D. Irving Sawmill record production.” On the front page of the King’s County Record, that should have been in the workplace. What was it doing on the front page of the King’s County Record that J.D. Irving Sawmill produced record products?
Then there was a big pollution spill in West Saint John on Christmas day. I wrote a letter to the editor about it. It was denied. So I do not know what was going on. There were changes made. I made a complaint to the Atlantic Press Council and what happened, Ken Simms from Halifax was surprised once I told him I wrote 500 letters to the editor. He said “500?” “My God,” he said “there is a procedure here. Then suddenly they stop. We will investigate this.” So Peter Haggard, he is from Ontario, he is the publisher of the Telegraph Journal. He called me and he told me, “We will not print critical letters of the Irvings by former employees.” So I turned around and I said, “Okay, so that means if there are 6,000 people in the shipyard that are former employees, they cannot write letters in the paper.” Then, Rob Link from the Evening Times Globe, I wrote a letter, he told me, “We have to investigate what you wrote.” I said, “Investigate? I wrote 500 letters to the editor. Why do you suddenly have to investigate?”
In the summer of year 2003, Peter Haggard from the Telegraph Journal, wrote a column and told the readers, “We will only print one letter by one writer on any issues once a month.” So I was shocked. Now, they are stopping people from writing letters to the paper. Three weeks later they announced that Saint John Ship Building was closed. So, those three regular writers that wrote about the shipyard, they had their say, then they had to wait a whole month. I mean, that is not right. New Brunswickers’ rights are being denied, and that is what I am very concerned about.
In the summer of 2003, I decided to set up a tent in front of the legislature and I was protesting against the use of Ritalin for ADHD, stopping young kids, five years old, from being forced on these drugs, and next thing you know, it took 50 days for the press, the Daily Gleaner, to cover this story. The Irving press never covered this story.
We are not talking about a tent that was in a cow field. It was in front of the legislature. The citizens of Fredericton -- I am sorry I am talking so fast, I am just going fast -- the citizens of Fredericton were wondering, “How come we have never seen this in the Gleaner?” It took 50 days. So what happened, suddenly, they stole my tent. To make a long story short, I got good coverage at the end, but it took 50 days.
I turned around and came here to Champlain Place to collect names for my petition. I collected 10,000 signatures and the Acadians, les Acadiens, they knew who I was because l’Acadie Nouvelle covered this story totally. The Moncton Transcript, they never did. The English side. See, this is what I am talking about.
The Chairman: I do not like having to cut anybody off.
Mr. LeBlanc: It is a damn shame.
The Chairman: I do not like it; we do not like it. But you are not the only one that we need to hear from.
Mr. LeBlanc: No, I made a presentation.
Senator Trenholme Counsell: Mr. LeBlanc, I think there is no doubt that in the end you have made a very important point about Ritalin and ADHD, but your main frustration in this case, and I do not want to go back regarding your employment with the Irvings and all those other things. I know you as a person who has taken a very strong and valid and important position on ADHD. Do you feel satisfied in the end? It is like Terry Fox, you do not get recognition right away. Do you feel now that you have achieved your goal?
Mr. LeBlanc: No, I understand your question, but like I said, I had to speak so fast. It had nothing to do if I reached my goal on Ritalin. My goal for freedom of speech, that is the problem. When you have Frank McKenna come to me when I was protesting, I met him in Fredericton, I have known him for a long time, he came to me and he said, “Charles, how come we have not seen any letters from you lately?” It is the freedom of speech. I do not want to compare the Irvings to this province to Germany. We do not go around and execute people. But do not forget, when Hitler took power, he took power of the media.
The media here, they call it Brunswick News, is Irving News. I mean, my issue of Ritalin, okay, did I succeed? I do not know, but this is not the point. The point is to have people, New Brunswickers, be allowed the freedom of speech and they are denied big time.
Like I said, I wish I could have made my presentation in whole. We were talking about advertising. I heard one person from the Telegraph Journal say, “If you do not pay your bills, we own all the newspapers.” The Senate, this committee must - see, I am just trying to answer a question and trying to get some more here.
Quickly, the Irvings gave St. Thomas University $1 million to study journalism, to train journalists. Why did the Irvings give $1 million to St. Thomas and l’Université de Moncton? These people, when they go out, they are not going to write critical stories of the Irvings. Look, it is freedom of speech.
The Chairman: Mr. LeBlanc, I am going to give Senator Munson a chance to ask a question if he wants, but I am also going to ask you please, because we are running out of time, but you do a blog so, you know how to do email. Could you send us a letter outlining your difficulties? In the meantime, I will undertake tomorrow, when we have representatives of Brunswick News here, to ask if they have a written policy on letters to the editor.
Senator Munson: If there is another message you want to give us, I would certainly accept that. I would throw out the easy question for you if you missed one or two things in a minute or so.
Mr. LeBlanc: I really appreciate that. One thing that I was concerned of is that during the 1997 federal election, J.K. Irving wrote a letter to the editor and it was printed on the front page. I did not know what was going on, but maybe it was good because Paul Zed lost. Maybe that is why he lost because J.K. Irving told the public to vote for his son-in-law, but we will never know. The question is still there.
I was allowed a week later to condemn J.K. in his letters to the editor, and I have seen him face to face and trust me, he just looked at me and said, “I own the paper and I will put the damn letter anywhere I want to.” But anyhow, that is his point. But the bottom line is, personally I respect the Irvings. J.D. Irving, J.K. Irving’s son, is totally out of control. It is like Mr. Burns on the Simpsons. “I will crush you with my bare hands.”
The Chairman: Thank you, Mr. LeBlanc. You made your point for us here.
Mr. LeBlanc: My blog is Charles LeBlanc, ADHD.
The Chairman: Thanks very much.