Petition to keep The Gazette in Montreal

[mousme]

As many of you know, my friend sultrysong works for the Montreal Gazette, my local English-language paper. The owners of the Gazette are trying to engineer outsourcing in order to facilitate layoffs in Montreal. Here's the union's take on it. I'd like to encourage you to take a minute to sign the petition too, please, especially if you're a local or even a Canadian. :)


To: Canwest Inc.

Montreal Gazette employees are fighting to preserve a vibrant English-language daily newspaper produced in Montreal to serve Montrealers.

The Gazette’s owners, Winnipeg-based Canwest Inc., are moving more and more of The Gazette’s editorial and customer-service operations out of the province of Quebec in violation of the employees’ collective agreements. Now, in contract negotiations, Canwest is demanding the removal of impediments to outsource any remaining work outside of Quebec in order to facilitate lay offs in Montreal.

These moves threaten to diminish Canada’s diversity of voices, whittle down local input and stifle The Gazette’s vital role of covering local news and reflecting Montrealers’ values, concerns and culture. The Gazette has been a proud Montreal institution since 1778 and its readers deserve better than Canwest’s plans to further downsize, centralize and outsource to maximize profits.

The newspaper is operated by Canwest, however it is the public that will ultimately decide whether it will tolerate a “local” newspaper produced elsewhere. Gazette staff are appealing to the Montreal community to tell Canwest to keep the “Montreal” in the Montreal Gazette.

Go here to sign the petition.

Comments

[fearsclave.livejournal.com]

Hey, the Gazoo is quite possibly the most anti-gun, hoplophobic paper in the country. Anything to drive their expenses up and profitability down...

[mousme.livejournal.com]

It's your choice to sign or not, obviously.

I for one would like my local news to remain local.

[fearsclave.livejournal.com]

It's just jealousy on my part. Around here, what passes for local news involves police resucing a large snapping turtle from the highway...

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Hee!

Hey, at least you had a personal connection to the story, right? ;)

[tcaptain.livejournal.com]

Signed.

The Gazoo isn't amazing but it's a montreal paper.

Personally I wish we could fight the merging off all mainstream news sources into big corporations while we're at it!

[aislingtheach.livejournal.com]

Je trippe pas sur la Gazette pis son biais anti-francophone, mais j'ai signé la pétition parce que je considère sa présence importante, parce que le «outsourcing» me pue au nez et parce que la fusion des corporations médiatiques est une plaie.

Alors solidarité avec les travailleurs, 'stie. ;)

[sultrysong.livejournal.com]

I really appreciate everyone's support. I know my paper isn't everyone's favourite (I have never been to a city where people like or admit to liking their local rag), but public support means so much -- not just to us in our fight, but for the future of journalism.