Canada steps up for journalism “Canada has shown leadership in securing a future for journalism — but there is more that can be done.” This year, Canada refused to let journalism fail. In 2021, that decision will show results. The Canadian government has launched a new program to address the hundreds of journalism jobs being lost, the dozens of news organizations being shuttered, and the obliteration of the old revenue model for journalism. The grants from the Local Journalism Initiative, remarkably, hit news organizations just as the COVID-19 lockdown did last March. The $11.4 million (CAN) spent funded 213 positions. This saved a lot of jobs and kept journalists reporting in their communities, uncovering news that would have gone unreported. I predict that these far-flung journalists will be a stabilizing force for Canada’s democracy in 2021.