If Pierre Poilievre wants to defund the CBC while maintaining its French-language programming, he’ll have to overhaul the country’s broadcasting law in order to do it.
That’s according to the Crown corporation, which has found itself in a back-and-forth with the Opposition leader over his pledge to cut the roughly $1 billion in taxpayer dollars it receives annually.
Past Conservative leaders have also taken aim at the CBC, which receives its share of public money through Parliament when MPs vote on its federal budget.
Poilievre’s pitch to strip the CBC of its public funding is widely popular among Conservatives and earned loud cheers from the crowds who packed rooms to see him during last year’s leadership campaign.
But he has also suggested he supports Radio-Canada’s French services.
When asked for comment on how he reconciles those two things, his office pointed to a media interview he gave to Radio-Canada in March 2022, in which he suggested maintaining support for services tailored to francophone minorities.
In another sit-down interview last July with True North, Poilievre explained that the only justification for having a public broadcaster is to provide content the private market does not. He argued that is not the case for CBC’s English services.
“Almost everything the CBC does can be done in the marketplace these days because of technology,” he told host Andrew Lawton. “I would preserve a small amount for French-language minorities, linguistic minorities, because they, frankly, will not get news services provided by the market.”
He added he did not think the CBC’s English-language services on TV or online “provide anything that people can’t get from the marketplace.”
Making that happen, however, appears easier said than done.
CBC responds to defunding pledge
In a statement, CBC/Radio-Canada said funding only Radio-Canada “would change the very nature of how programs and services are funded in Canada to target public money at only one language group.”
A spokesman said doing so would require the Broadcasting Act, the law outlining its mandate, “to be rewritten.”
The law requires the corporation to provide programming in both French and English, and it does not give the government sway over how resources are allocated to accomplish that.
It also stipulates that the broadcaster maintain “creative and programming independence” and provide a range of both television and radio services.
“CBC/Radio-Canada is the country’s only media company that serves all Canadians, in both official languages (and eight Indigenous ones), from coast to coast to coast,” corporate spokesman Leon Mar said in a written statement.
It is the corporation’s board of directors that determines how the funding it receives is spent. In 2021-22, the CBC received more than $1.2 billion in government funding, a decrease from about $1.4 billion in 2020-21.
Peter Menzies, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and former vice-chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, said reducing funding for the CBC is one thing, but prescribing how it can use the money would be difficult “unless you redo the legislation entirely.”
People walk into the CBC building in Toronto on April 4, 2012. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said that his government will sell off CBC buildings. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)
He said a future government could provide the broadcaster with a new mandate specifying what kind of services and on what platforms and in what languages it provides them — but said that leads to the problem of “picking winners and losers.”
“I’m not sure politicians really want to go down the [road of] … ‘We are going to give francophones better service with public money than we’re going to give anglophones,”‘ he said.
Menzies added that while he believes changes should be made to the CBC, “it’s a lot more complicated than people think.”
“Preferring one piece of it over another piece, particularly linguistically, I think that opens a door you probably don’t really want to open.”
Accusations of bias
He also pointed out about 40 per cent of CBC’s revenue already flows to Radio-Canada, even though the proportion of French-speaking households in Canada is much smaller.
Poilievre touts that slashing CBC’s overall funding would equal savings for taxpayers, and has also suggested he has plans to sell off its buildings.
Speaking to a crowd gathered in Calgary last August, the then-leadership hopeful accused the corporation of putting “all the money into these big, gigantic temples they call headquarters in Toronto and Montreal.” Montreal is the home of its Radio-Canada headquarters.
“There’s some savings right there,” he added.
In a statement Thursday, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said Poilievre’s proposal caters to the most devoted parts of his base and that Radio-Canada serves an essential role for Quebec and the French language in Canada. He accused the Tory leader of wanting to hamper those efforts.
A spokeswoman for Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, Laura Scaffidi, added that both CBC and Radio-Canada are invaluable “in smaller and official language minority communities.”
While visiting Edmonton on Thursday, Poilievre was asked whether he was prepared to amend the federal broadcasting law as it pertains to the CBC and its French-language services. He did not answer, but instead called the CBC the “biased propaganda arm of the Liberal Party.”
Relations between the federal Conservatives and the CBC further soured earlier this year when Catherine Tait, the broadcaster’s CEO, told the Globe and Mail in an interview that Poilievre’s criticisms amounted to a slogan the party used to raise money. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)
It comes after he asked Twitter to add a “government-funded” label to accounts that promote “news-related” content from CBC English, but did not ask the same for its French counterpart.
The corporation contends that the description is inaccurate, saying its editorial independence is enshrined in law. It also draws a distinction between “government” and “public” funding, because of the fact that the money it receives is granted through a vote made in Parliament.
After such a label was applied to the BBC, the U.K. broadcaster pushed back, and Twitter eventually changed the tag to “publicly funded media.”
CBC CEO reached out to Poilievre
Relations between the federal Conservatives and the CBC further soured earlier this year when Catherine Tait, the broadcaster’s CEO, told the Globe and Mail in an interview that Poilievre’s criticisms of the CBC amounted to a slogan the Conservative Party used to raise money.
That is just what the party did following her comments. Poilievre said Tait’s words showed CBC had launched a partisan attack against him and that it could not be trusted.
The exchange followed an invitation Tait had made to Poilievre to meet just days after he was elected Conservative leader last September. By the end of November, Tait reached out again, expressing disappointment in a response she said she received back from his office that he would not be able to meet — despite the party continuing to attack CBC and its reporters as biased.
“These fundraising efforts do not acknowledge the scope and value that CBC/Radio-Canada actually delivers to Canadians, or the implications to this country and its economy were it to be ‘defunded,”‘ Tait wrote in a letter to Poilievre.
La Presse first reported on the letter, which it obtained with an access-to-information request. The Canadian Press also obtained a copy.
“As the head of the public broadcaster and as the leader of the Opposition,” Tait continued, “I think Canadians can rightly expect that the two of us have a responsibility to discuss the implications of your promise.”
NEW YORK (AP) — In a new video posted early Election Day, Beyoncé channels Pamela Anderson in the television program “Baywatch” – red one-piece swimsuit and all – and asks viewers to vote.
In the two-and-a-half-minute clip, set to most of “Bodyguard,” a four-minute cut from her 2024 country album “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé cosplays as Anderson’s character before concluding with a simple message, written in white text: “Happy Beylloween,” followed by “Vote.”
At a rally for Donald Trump in Pittsburgh on Monday night, the former president spoke dismissively about Beyoncé’s appearance at a Kamala Harris rally in Houston in October, drawing boos for the megastar from his supporters.
“Beyoncé would come in. Everyone’s expecting a couple of songs. There were no songs. There was no happiness,” Trump said.
She did not perform — unlike in 2016, when she performed at a presidential campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland – but she endorsed Harris and gave a moving speech, initially joined onstage by her Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.
“I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé said.
“A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided,” she said at the rally in Houston, her hometown.
“Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations,” she continued. “We must vote, and we need you.”
Harris used the song in July during her first official public appearance as a presidential candidate at her campaign headquarters in Delaware. That same month, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, publicly endorsed Harris for president.
Beyoncé gave permission to Harris to use the song, a campaign official who was granted anonymity to discuss private campaign operations confirmed to The Associated Press.
Outside of sports and a “Cold front coming down from Canada,” American news media only report on Canadian events that they believe are, or will be, influential to the US. Therefore, when Justin Trudeau’s announcement, having finally read the room, that Canada will be reducing the number of permanent residents admitted by more than 20 percent and temporary residents like skilled workers and college students will be cut by more than half made news south of the border, I knew the American media felt Trudeau’s about-face on immigration was newsworthy because many Americans would relate to Trudeau realizing Canada was accepting more immigrants than it could manage and are hoping their next POTUS will follow Trudeau’s playbook.
Canada, with lots of space and lacking convenient geographical ways for illegal immigrants to enter the country, though still many do, has a global reputation for being incredibly accepting of immigrants. On the surface, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver appear to be multicultural havens. However, as the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good,” resulting in a sharp rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, which you can almost taste in the air. A growing number of Canadians, regardless of their political affiliation, are blaming recent immigrants for causing the housing affordability crises, inflation, rise in crime and unemployment/stagnant wages.
Throughout history, populations have engulfed themselves in a tribal frenzy, a psychological state where people identify strongly with their own group, often leading to a ‘us versus them’ mentality. This has led to quick shifts from complacency to panic and finger-pointing at groups outside their tribe, a phenomenon that is not unique to any particular culture or time period.
My take on why the American news media found Trudeau’s blatantly obvious attempt to save his political career, balancing appeasement between the pitchfork crowd, who want a halt to immigration until Canada gets its house in order, and immigrant voters, who traditionally vote Liberal, newsworthy; the American news media, as do I, believe immigration fatigue is why Kamala Harris is going to lose on November 5th.
Because they frequently get the outcome wrong, I don’t take polls seriously. According to polls in 2014, Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals were in a dead heat in Ontario, yet Wynne won with more than twice as many seats. In the 2018 Quebec election, most polls had the Coalition Avenir Québec with a 1-to-5-point lead over the governing Liberals. The result: The Coalition Avenir Québec enjoyed a landslide victory, winning 74 of 125 seats. Then there’s how the 2016 US election polls showing Donald Trump didn’t have a chance of winning against Hillary Clinton were ridiculously way off, highlighting the importance of the election day poll and, applicable in this election as it was in 2016, not to discount ‘shy Trump supporters;’ voters who support Trump but are hesitant to express their views publicly due to social or political pressure.
My distrust in polls aside, polls indicate Harris is leading by a few points. One would think that Trump’s many over-the-top shenanigans, which would be entertaining were he not the POTUS or again seeking the Oval Office, would have him far down in the polls. Trump is toe-to-toe with Harris in the polls because his approach to the economy—middle-class Americans are nostalgic for the relatively strong economic performance during Trump’s first three years in office—and immigration, which Americans are hyper-focused on right now, appeals to many Americans. In his quest to win votes, Trump is doing what anyone seeking political office needs to do: telling the people what they want to hear, strategically using populism—populism that serves your best interests is good populism—to evoke emotional responses. Harris isn’t doing herself any favours, nor moving voters, by going the “But, but… the orange man is bad!” route, while Trump cultivates support from “weird” marginal voting groups.
To Harris’s credit, things could have fallen apart when Biden abruptly stepped aside. Instead, Harris quickly clinched the nomination and had a strong first few weeks, erasing the deficit Biden had given her. The Democratic convention was a success, as was her acceptance speech. Her performance at the September 10th debate with Donald Trump was first-rate.
Harris’ Achilles heel is she’s now making promises she could have made and implemented while VP, making immigration and the economy Harris’ liabilities, especially since she’s been sitting next to Biden, watching the US turn into the circus it has become. These liabilities, basically her only liabilities, negate her stance on abortion, democracy, healthcare, a long-winning issue for Democrats, and Trump’s character. All Harris has offered voters is “feel-good vibes” over substance. In contrast, Trump offers the tangible political tornado (read: steamroll the problems Americans are facing) many Americans seek. With Trump, there’s no doubt that change, admittedly in a messy fashion, will happen. If enough Americans believe the changes he’ll implement will benefit them and their country…
The case against Harris on immigration, at a time when there’s a huge global backlash to immigration, even as the American news media are pointing out, in famously immigrant-friendly Canada, is relatively straightforward: During the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, illegal Southern border crossings increased significantly.
The words illegal immigration, to put it mildly, irks most Americans. On the legal immigration front, according to Forbes, most billion-dollar startups were founded by immigrants. Google, Microsoft, and Oracle, to name three, have immigrants as CEOs. Immigrants, with tech skills and an entrepreneurial thirst, have kept America leading the world. I like to think that Americans and Canadians understand the best immigration policy is to strategically let enough of these immigrants in who’ll increase GDP and tax base and not rely on social programs. In other words, Americans and Canadians, and arguably citizens of European countries, expect their governments to be more strategic about immigration.
The days of the words on a bronze plaque mounted inside the Statue of Liberty pedestal’s lower level, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” are no longer tolerated. Americans only want immigrants who’ll benefit America.
Does Trump demagogue the immigration issue with xenophobic and racist tropes, many of which are outright lies, such as claiming Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets? Absolutely. However, such unhinged talk signals to Americans who are worried about the steady influx of illegal immigrants into their country that Trump can handle immigration so that it’s beneficial to the country as opposed to being an issue of economic stress.
In many ways, if polls are to be believed, Harris is paying the price for Biden and her lax policies early in their term. Yes, stimulus spending quickly rebuilt the job market, but at the cost of higher inflation. Loosen border policies at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment was increasing was a gross miscalculation, much like Trudeau’s immigration quota increase, and Biden indulging himself in running for re-election should never have happened.
If Trump wins, Democrats will proclaim that everyone is sexist, racist and misogynous, not to mention a likely White Supremacist, and for good measure, they’ll beat the “voter suppression” button. If Harris wins, Trump supporters will repeat voter fraud—since July, Elon Musk has tweeted on Twitter at least 22 times about voters being “imported” from abroad—being widespread.
Regardless of who wins tomorrow, Americans need to cool down; and give the divisive rhetoric a long overdue break. The right to an opinion belongs to everyone. Someone whose opinion differs from yours is not by default sexist, racist, a fascist or anything else; they simply disagree with you. Americans adopting the respectful mindset to agree to disagree would be the best thing they could do for the United States of America.
PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”
The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”
Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”
The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.
“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.
