Friday April 4, 2-25 | NATIONAL NEWS [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
A Liberal government would provide an initial $150 million funding increase to the CBC/Radio-Canada, said Liberal Leader Mark Carney today on the campaign trail in Ottawa.
Today Carney promised the initial $150 million funding increase, while directing CBC/Radio-Canada to strengthen its mandate. Eventually he would nearly double the $1.4 billion the public broadcaster receives in taxpayer dollars, he announced in Montreal.
“Across the country, Canadians rely on CBC/Radio-Canada,” he said during a visit in Montreal. “From Schitt’s Creek to Hockey Night in Canada and Mike Myers, these are products of Canada. They’re the result of strong, representative public broadcasting.”
The Carney press conference was held in Montreal, accompanied by candidate Steven Guilbeault (running in Laurie-Sainte-Marie).
The federal general election date is April 28, 2025.
Ad revenue still in the picture:
In addition to the government funding boost, CBC would still be able to receive advertising revenue, contrary to the report presented by Pascale St-Onge before the election was called.
Carney also promised to review the governance of both corporations.
Carney said his plan in the long term would be for the broadcaster to see a long-term funding level more in line with the average funding of its counterparts among G7 countries.
Canada’s public square:
Carney referred to CBC as a public square in a sea of disinformation and misinformation.
CBC is especially vital for Canadians in rural and remote areas, where the public broadcaster is often their only source of local information, Carney stated.
“Canadians rely on it to keep up with what is happening, and when disasters happen, such as forest fires, floods or storms that threaten their communities, public broadcasting is crucial. It’s a vital source of information to help people to stay safe,” he added.
Necessary resources:
“We can’t ask our public broadcaster to do all this without giving it the necessary resources. When we compare ourselves to France, the United Kingdom or Germany, we see that our public broadcaster is underfunded. This must change,” said Carney.
In 2024, CBC/Radio-Canada generated $493.5 million from external revenue sources.
“Our expectation is that, in the following years, the financing will continue to increase until it becomes comparable to other broadcasters around the world.”
Currently, CBC/Radio-Canada’s public funding per capita is around $33.66, nearly half of the average funding of G7 countries, which is $62.20 per capita. Former heritage minister Pascale St-Onge promised to bring Canada closer to that average when she unveiled her plan for the CBC back in February.
Making it statuatory:
Carney is also proposing to make the broadcaster’s funding statutory, which means that Parliament will need to approve any future changes to its funding — not just cabinet. That would make it more difficult for any future government to unilaterally decide to defund the broadcaster.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to “defund the CBC” while maintaining its French-language programming. However, he would have to overhaul the country’s broadcasting law in order to defund one part of the broadcaster and spare another.
“Canada’s identity and institutions are under attack by foreign interference. And instead of defending them, Pierre Poilievre is following President (Donald) Trump’s lead and taking aim at our institutions like CBC/Radio-Canada,” said Carney.
Poilievre’s intention to cut CBC “is an attack on our Canadian identity”.
“Pierre Poilievre pretends you can keep one but not the other, but he’s not Solomon. You can’t split this baby,” he added, referring to the Biblical story of the “Judgement of Solomon.”
Other media questions:
Carney also took questions from reporters on tariffs, the role of Western Canada, Quebec sovereignty and the role of language, culture, and Canadian identity.
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