The axe has once again fallen on TVA’s newsrooms. This time, 87 news-production staff members, in all network stations except Québec City, will be losing their jobs. In all, almost 800 jobs have been cut at the broadcaster since 2023.
“Our message keeps falling on deaf ears,” said Carl Beaudoin, President of the Syndicat des employé(e)s de TVA (CUPE 687). “News tax credits should include audiovisual production and not just print media.”
Beaudoin went on to say that “[t]his is another very hard blow to newscasting in our regions, and therefore to cultural and civic vitality. It’s time governments wake up: the erosion and erasure of newsrooms across Quebec is disastrous. If our increasingly polarized and divided society is driven by misinformation and incivility, it is partly because our provincial and federal leaders are abandoning regional journalism.”
Adding, “before these new cuts, our journalist members were already overworked and exhausted. Now, we’re being told they’ll also have to do technical tasks? We can’t see how that’s feasible. We’re extremely worried.”
The union’s immediate focus will be on supporting its affected members, then on ensuring layoffs are carried out in accordance with the collective agreement and labour laws.