Trudeau 'pissed off' by Bell Media's 'garbage decision' to lay off journalists

A fired-up Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unleashed on Bell on Friday, calling its move to layoff thousands of employees — including hundreds of journalists — a «garbage decision.»

«I'm pretty pissed off about what's just happened,» Trudeau said during a press conference in Toronto.

«This is the erosion not just of journalism, of quality local journalism at a time where people need it more than ever, given misinformation and disinformation… It's eroding our very democracy, our abilities to tell stories to each other.»

On Thursday the media company — which owns CTV and BNN Bloomberg — announced 4,800 jobs «at all levels of the company» would be cut. Bell said it's the largest round of cuts in nearly 30 years.

It's also the second major round of layoffs at the media and telecommunications giant since last spring, when six per cent of Bell Media jobs were eliminated and nine radio stations were either shuttered or sold.

Bell also announced it is ending multiple television newscasts and making other programming cuts after its parent company announced widespread layoffs and the sale of 45 of its 103 regional radio stations.

The stations being sold are in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

'I'm furious': Trudeau

After announcing the job cuts, Bell said it would push ahead with a more generous dividend payout to its shareholders.

«I'm furious. This was a garbage decision by a corporation that should know better,» said Trudeau.

«We need those local voices and over the past years, corporate Canada — and there are many culprits on this — have abdicated their responsibility toward the communities that they have always made very good profits off of in various ways.»

On Thursday, Bell chief legal and regulatory officer Robert