Good journalism is “critical” to democracy but Ottawa says it won’t bail out media models “that are no longer viable.”

Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly took the wraps off the Liberal government’s vision for culture in Canada, laying out in broad strokes a road map for everything from onscreen productions, poetry and books and the fate of small-town newspapers.

In laying out the vision during a noon-hour speech Thursday, Joly looked at the challenges facing local media in Canada, which have been battered by sharp declines in revenue.

Joly said she’s heard first-hand about the “importance” of local news and the different ways it can be delivered, by radio, television, local newspaper and online outlets.

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