Canada’s Federal Government Stands Ready To Gut More Of What Is Left Of The CBC

A Commentary by Doug Draper

Okay, so we know Canada’s economy is suffering so much, according to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservatives that we have to make some sacrifices.

One of CBC's best and brightest, Jian Ghomeshi.

Those sacrifices may apparently come in Harper’s March 22 budget with more corporate tax cuts, more subsidies for the tar sands and close to $30 billion now to be spent on American-manufactured fighter jets – more than $12 billion more than originally estimated. But let’s cut more funding for health care, environmental protection, post-secondary education for future generations and, finally,  for the CBC.

While Harper and his bunch defend a $12-billion override on weapons of destruction they seem hell bent on purchasing, at any cost, from U.S.- based Lockheed-Martin – one of the global king pins of the military-industrial complex – and looks at spending billions more on prisons, why should they care about things as paltry to them as the CBC?
Hell, why would they want to keep great all-Canadian voices like Michael Enright (host of CBC’s Sunday Edition) or Jian Ghomeshi (host of Q), or The Current on the air when they can purchase fighter jets at an outrageous cost from an arms manufacturer in the U.S. that, for all we know is funneling money to Canadian think tanks and other groups and individuals to fund Harper’s next election campaign.

Think about it folks. Do we want to stand back and watch this government gut what is left of the CBC? And if we stand back and allot this government to do that, where are we going to go for the kind of broadcasting CBC still has the funding to do?

There may be some who don’t care. There may be some who say that CBC is just a bastion for elitist listeners who don’t want to be left with stations that carry the wisdom of U.S. blowhards like Rush Limbaugh. And if that is so, that is surely sad.

But for the rest of us, who still believe our federal government can spare a mere sliver of the cost for security for hosting the G20 summit in Toronto this past year, maybe, just maybe, continuing to support a radio and television station that supports the likes of Enright and David Suzuki is not such a bad thing.

I remember attending a conference in Toronto, hosted by Canada’s Centre for Investigative Journalism in 1988, and one of the keynote speakers was Peter Mansbridge (still anchor of CBC’s The National) and the audience erupted in applause when he announced at the time that he turned down a much more lucrative anchor position with one of the major networks in the U.S. because he believed in the CBC.

We should believe in the CBC too, enough to tell Harper and his minions not to make any cuts to one of the great broadcasting bodies that people in Egypt or Libya could only hope to have. Why should we let our government gut a news service people fighting and dying for freedom and democracy could only hope to have?

By the way, Republicans across the border are wanting to do the same fund-gutting business on the National Public Broadcasting system there, including the wonderful WNED radio and television stations in the Buffalo, New York area.  Do what you can do to stop them. It is all about saving some quality broadcasting in our lives.

(Niagara At Large is posting the following information from a CBC-friendly group called Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, along with links for protesting any further cuts to the CBC before it is to late. Follow it up with comments of your own. But most of all contact your federal MPs to save this institution.)

Stephen Harper is planning to cut CBC funding.
Only a massive outcry can stop him.

Earlier this week, the government tabled its spending plan for the coming year in Parliament. Included in the fine print is a reduction to the CBC’s grant. Unless we convince Stephen save Harper to change his plan, the CBC will lose $16 million ($42 million in purchasing power after inflation is taken into account)1 starting next month!
For our public broadcaster, a reduction of this magnitude might seem manageable, but it is yet another cut in a series that, taken together, is having devastating consequences obvious to every listener and viewer.
Thankfully, there is an opportunity in the next two weeks to stop this cut.
Just a few weeks from now – on March 22nd – the Harper government will table its Budget. It’s his chance to change course. We’ve got only a matter of days to persuade Harper that it is not in his political interest to cut CBC funding.

Included in the fine print is a reduction to the CBC’s grant. Unless we convince Stephen Harper to change his plan, the CBC will lose $16 million ($42 million in purchasing power after inflation is taken into account)1 starting next month!
For our public broadcaster, a reduction of this magnitude might seem manageable, but it is yet another cut in a series that, taken together, is having devastating consequences obvious to every listener and viewer.
Thankfully, there is an opportunity in the next two weeks to stop this cut.
Just a few weeks from now – on March 22nd – the Harper government will table its Budget. It’s his chance to change course. We’ve got only a matter of days to persuade Harper that it is not in his political interest to cut CBC funding.
Please send a message to Stephen Harper right now and share this campaign with your friends:
http:// www.friends.ca/campaign/harper-cuts-cbc
Harper’s plan to cut CBC funding is entirely consistent with recent comments from senior members of Harper’s government that betray their hostile agenda for public broadcasting in Canada. You will recall that Harper’s confidante, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney recently proclaimed that “the CBC lies all the time”.
While his senior Minister was trashing the CBC, Harper’s office developed talking points that take sinister doublespeak to new levels, claiming that his government has invested record amounts in the CBC, more than any previous government.
This statement is false! Here are the facts: http:// www.friends.ca/fact-sheet/238.
The spending plan that would cut CBC’s funding can be changed by the federal Budget on March 22nd.
It’s our opportunity and we must seize it to protect public broadcasting.

While we cannot hope to make Harper love the CBC, we must make sure he understands that every time he tries to trash our public broadcaster, voters will strongly object and punish his party at the first opportunity.
Please send your message now and share the campaign with your friends. If we act together we can succeed!
We have prepared a short message, but it will be much more effective if you take a few moments to personalize it, adding your own comments. Your message to Stephen Harper will be copied to the Minister of Finance, the opposition party leaders and your local MP.

Sincerely,

Ian Morrison
Spokesperson
FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting
P.S. After you send your message, I encourage you to Like our Facebook page where you will find all the latest news and action opportunities for our campaigns on public broadcasting and cultural sovereignty.

(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com and voice your views below.)