Why all the fuss about Twitter describing the CBC as “government-funded media”? The CBC is government-funded media. It matters little if it’s 69 per cent or 70 per cent It’s a simple fact that it is majority government funded.
It doesn’t mean it’s bad quality media. It doesn’t mean that its journalists are incompetent (some of the best journalists I’ve met in my long career work for the CBC). It doesn’t mean that all of its shows are lousy. It doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t continue. It just means that it’s a government-owned creation of Parliament, not a private outfit.
The Canadian government provides our state-owned broadcaster over $1 billion a year in subsidies that were voted by Parliament. These are not public subscriptions, they’re government grants. The public pays its taxes and the government funds the CBC from those taxes. The public doesn’t otherwise have anything to do with it or a word to say about it.
Justin Trudeau was in full rhetorical flight Monday as he gave one of his overwrought drama teacher performances in defence of the CBC. The social media giant had decided to mention this government funding on CBC’s Twitter account, at the request of opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. An OMG moment Trudeau wasn’t going to squander. He even accused Poilievre of being in league with American billionaires. Take THAT you sellout!
There have been nuances in the past from Twitter. The BBC received a similar “government-funded media” moniker, which Twitter later changed to “publicly funded media.” Maybe something similar will be worked out for the CBC, which finds its appellation offensive because it lumps them in with state-controlled media in undemocratic regimes.
It would be a wasted opportunity if this issue were to be reduced to a Trudeau soliloquy versus a Poilievre grin. There is a substantive issue here that deserves to be aired, not dismissed. It’s very real and not a figment of the opposition leader’s imagination.
As someone who represented a different party, the CBC’s treatment of the Liberals is something I’ve witnessed up close. In the run-up to the 2015 campaign, in which I’d be facing off against Stephen Harper and Trudeau, it was frustrating to say the least. Some of our best communications folks cautioned me (correctly) that it was a mug’s game to complain. You can’t beat the house! I’d have to put up and shut up.
Poilievre is apparently not willing to just take it. He’s fighting back but his methods and threats to defund can be so off-putting that any chance of discussing the matter serenely may be lost. Despite Trudeau’s chewing the scenery, there is something serious to discuss here and doing so could help Canadians get a better CBC.
I understand Poilievre’s frustrations because I’ve experienced them first-hand. I just don’t share his methods. I don’t think the CBC should be defunded but I do think it could be improved. If this whole exercise opens up that possibility, Canadians could be the big winners.
I have searing memories of interventions by a small number of CBC/Radio-Canada reporters during the campaign, several of whom went on to become Liberal staffers.
Sour grapes? Nope, for me it’s long past. Real concern? Yep, because if it continues, the CBC could be on the chopping block and I believe that would be a great loss for our country.
When Catherine Tait, the president of CBC, chose to run our government-funded media from her Brooklyn N.Y. brownstone, Trudeau should’ve known something was amiss.
When Tait decided to descend into the partisan political arena, targeting Poilievre personally, Trudeau should’ve called her in to explain that she couldn’t continue in her job.
Think about that for a second. The same person who worked himself into a lather defending the CBC as an incorruptible, independant monument to fairness did nothing when the head of the CBC decided she was a politician and singled out the opposition leader.
In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Tait had had this to say:
“There is a lot of CBC bashing going on, somewhat stoked by the leader of the Opposition (Pierre Poilievre).”
Of course Poilievre reacted. He accused her of being partisan and he was completely right. It was blatantly partisan. She had no business whatsoever engaging in politics. Period.
If anyone on a CBC pundit panel criticized Tait, I must’ve missed it.
Both the government and the CBC should use this debate as an opportunity to hit “refresh.”
A “business as usual” approach would help perpetuate a problem for politicians who aren’t Liberal. More importantly, it affects the fairness of our electoral process. It is government money, after all.
Twitter has taken to answering all questions from the media by sending an emoji of a little pile of poo. It’s first year high school humour that says a lot about owner Elon Musk’s understanding of the importance of a free press. Musk has all the money in the world and the influence to go along with it. He also fails to understand that dictatorships from Moscow to Tehran, from Beijing to Pyongyang are cheering him on for a reason.
Defending a free press is essential in a world where democratic ideals and human rights are under greater pressure than at any time in nearly a century. Those assaults on democracy and liberty shouldn’t be enabled by someone whose success and fortune have been gained thanks to a free economy and freedom of speech.
That’s a debate worth having. Trudeau’s opportunistic emoting in defence of the CBC shouldn’t spare us a good hard look at this worthwhile Canadian institution. Destroying the CBC, as Poilievre has promised to do, would only deprive Canadians and the world of one more quality source of information at a time when hotheads and zealots already have too much sway.
Let’s defend the CBC while at the same time cleaning house and putting it on a more balanced footing. Canadians deserve no less.
Tom Mulcair was the leader of the federal New Democratic Party of Canada between 2012 and 2017.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
