22 December 2005

Guild urges members to press candidates
for commitment to CBC funding

Canadian Media Guild | TNG Canada Local 30213

The president of the Canadian Media Guild is hoping to enlist fellow members of TNG Canada/CWA in a campaign to boost political support for the CBC.

"As the Jan. 23 federal election approaches, it's important to remember that Guild members at our CBC branch have much at stake," says Lise Lareau.

She urges all Guild members, family and friends to get a commitment from federal candidates to increase the CBC's parliamentary funding permanently for the first time in 30 years.

Candidates in a Guild member's riding should also be asked where they stand on expanded local and regional programming. "If you live in Kelowna, Hamilton, Kingston, in or around the London/Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario, or Saskatoon, you can help make this a real issue in your riding," says Lareau.

The CMG has created a poster in PDF format that can be downloaded and printed out, for distribution at all-candidates meetings or other public gatherings.

Guild members are also asked to assist in preparation of an analysis of where the parties stand on public broadcasting issues. CBC-related statements or positions taken by federal candidates in a Guild member's riding should be sent to guild@interlog.com. The CMG plans to release the analysis early in the new year.

The Guild is calling for an increase in the CBC’s parliamentary allotment by one cent a day per Canadian (about $120 million a year) to pay for expanded local and regional programming and newsgathering across the country. The CBC submitted a plan to expand programming to Heritage Minister Liza Frulla early in the year, but the government ignored it.

The increase the Guild proposes would put per capita government funding for the CBC ($28) on an equal footing with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ($31), which is still much lower than 2005 funding for the BBC ($100) or Japan’s NHK ($51).

(This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on the Canadian Media Guild website.)