An antisemitism media watchdog is raising alarm bells after a far-left, self-described “independent” media outlet received $41,000 from Google’s $100 million deal brokered by the Liberal government to abide by the Online News Act.
Honest Reporting Canada is calling out the Canadian Journalism Collective for giving government-acquired funds to The Breach, a left-wing outlet with an anti-Israel focus. The CJC is the agency appointed to distribute Google’s payments to Canadian media outlets as part of its deal to be exempt from the Liberals’ Online News Act.
The media watchdog said the outlet aims to “delegitimize Zionism, the Jewish people’s national movement of self-determination in their historic homeland,” and has whitewashed pro-Hamas demonstrations. The watchdog said the outlet complained that Hamas’ massacres have been called ‘vicious’ and ‘brutal,’ and “repeatedly sanitized” Palestinian terrorism.
The Breach did not respond to True North’s request for comment.
The Breach was among 108 news businesses that the CJC has funded with $22,193,608.09 since April 23, 2025. More funding from the CJC will be announced throughout the year, but among that funding, The Breach received $41,177.68.
The outlet describes itself as “an independent media outlet producing critical journalism to help map a just, viable future.” It publishes content on the “crises of racism, inequality, colonialism and climate breakdown.” It says its journalism “doesn’t dismiss social movements proposing bold policies like defunding the police or Landback” and is “aimed squarely at the corporate class.”
Despite calling itself “independent,” this isn’t the first time The Breach has received funding from the government.
Starting on April 1, 2023, the outlet received $32,692 from Canadian Heritage as part of the Canada Periodical Fund and another $30,208 in 2024. The Breach also announced it received between $5,000 and $9,999 donations from Service Canada and Emploi Quebec wage subsidies.
The outlet also received over $10,000 in donations from the Government of Canada and over $10,000 in donations from other outlets that have received government funding directly or via partnerships, such as Indiegraf Media Inc., and the Inspirit Foundation.
Erin Millar, the CEO of Indiegraf, chairs the CJC, while Sadia Zaman, CEO of Inspirit Foundation, was listed by the collective on the independent board of directors.
As reported by the National Post, Unifor’s president, Lana Payne, released a statement in which she expressed “deep concern” about potential conflicts of interest within the board. Payne said six of the 12 board of directors at the CJC were clients of Indiegraf, including Dru Jay, the president of the board of directors at The Breach. The group changed its ethics and oversight policies to address this.
Honest Reporting Canada raised questions about Zaman’s ability to be fair when disbursing government-acquired funds as she also shared several anti-Israel posts its says crossed the line.
Zaman shared images which purport to justify Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and other photos which compared Israel’s defensive war against the terrorist entity to the Nazi’s genocide of Jews in the Auschwitz concentration camp, though she later apologized.