2012.03.15 | CWA Canada Local 30213 | Canadian Media Guild
Canadians asked to say NO to severe cuts to CBC
With the federal budget two weeks away and the threat of severe cuts to the CBC looming larger, several organizations have revved up their campaigns to protect the public broadcaster.
Canadians are being asked to show their support for the CBC by signing a petition that objects to the proposed cut of 10 per cent or $110 million. The petition is a joint effort of Reimagine CBC, LeadNow, OpenMedia and the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), which represents thousands of CBC employees and is CWA Canada's largest Local.
The petition also has the backing of the Friends of Public Broadcasting, which has been running two campaigns (Stop the CBC Smackdown, I Love CBC). Yet another campaign is being run by the federal Liberal Party (Hands Off Our CBC).
The CBC has over its 75 years survived ups and downs in Ottawa's funding allocations at the hands of both the Liberals and the defunct Progressive Conservatives. But the current assault on the public broadcaster by government MPs and a media rival is without precedent.
"It's ironic that one of the reasons the Conservatives cite for wanting to get rid of the CBC is that it's not relevant in the 1,000-channel universe," says CWA Canada Director Martin O'Hanlon. "The flood of American programming is precisely why we need the CBC now more than ever.
"The CBC was created in the 1930s specifically to promote Canadian culture in the face of an onslaught of American radio. Even way back then, people saw clearly what the Conservatives today can't — that unless we defend our culture, it will fade away."
Although the Conservatives promised during the 2011 election campaign to maintain or increase funding for the CBC, they appear to have developed amnesia after achieving a majority government.
From parliamentary secretary Dean del Maestro musing that the government "should get out of public broadcasting" to MPs tabling petitions in the House calling for defunding of the "state" broadcaster, there can be no doubt that the Conservatives have the knives out for the CBC.
Observers on Parliament Hill note that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has a visceral hatred for the CBC, presumably because it maintains its journalistic independence and dares to be critical of government policies.
In the private sector, Harper cheerleader Pierre Karl Péladeau has turned the might of his Quebecor Media on the "state" broadcaster, enlisting all its platforms to pillory the CBC and goad its right-wing audiences into joining in the attack. He has denied that his company is waging war against the CBC because its French iteration, Radio-Canada, is its main competitor in Quebec.
Hubert Lacroix, CEO of the CBC, told The Globe and Mail he is expecting the government to cut 10 per cent of its $1.1-billion budget. If that happens, "you'll notice it," he said.
Karen Wirsig, communications co-ordinator at the CMG, told the Globe that, if the $110-million hit was concentrated in one place, it would be equivalent to eliminating French radio or half of English radio services or one day's worth of CBC_TV programming every week.