Tuesday April 15, 2025 | SOOKE, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
In the current federal election campaign the Conservatives haven taken a position that they would “defund” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said if he becomes prime minister, he will cut the government’s funding of the CBC, which currently runs on about of $1.4 billion per year. He said he would cut all English services but keep some French services.
About the CBC:
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its English-language and French-language service units known as CBC and Radio-Canada, respectively.
In addition to reaching remote and rural areas, the CBC states that “it is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges”.
CBC funding is both from the federal government (arm’s length, without editorial control) and from advertising revenue.
Poilievre and Carney:
Back on January 29, the new CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada Marie-Philippe Bouchard said that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s promise to defund the public broadcaster could “cripple” both its English and French services and change the country’s news and entertainment media landscape for the worse.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney has pointed out in recent weeks that the French and English services work in an inter-connected way and could not be separated without damaging or destroying both.
Public broadcasting is not unique to Canada. There is the BBC in Britain and PBS in the United States.
Role of media in democracy:
The three key instruments of democracy are a free press, universities and schools, and the courts of the justice system.
In Canada, it is notable that the government facilitates a free press by funding the CBC as a public broadcaster.
What ESS candidates think:
At the Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke public forum on Sunday April 13 in Sooke, candidates were asked for their views on funding of the CBC.
Candidates in attendance were representing: NDP, Green, Communist, and Independent. Candidates from the Liberal and Conservative parties were not in attendance.
It was a question from the audience: “What are your thoughts on defunding the CBC?” The answers came in this order:
Independent [Param Bhatti]: “I think, every avenue for media deserves equal support. We’re in an era now where disinformatoin and misnformation is being pushed from all sides. We need equal opportunity for all media to be equally funded to provide the same message to all Canadians. Right now, different parties and groups are reinforcing their message through different platforms and this is causing a lot of chaos in our world, in our government and in our politics. Should there be defunding? No I think there should be equal funding.
NDP [Maja Tait]: I fully support the CBC. And that’s one the NDP stands strongly on. Media is essential to a functioning democracy. All the leaders need to allow the media access on their tours to travel with them, and to be available not only for a question but a followup. We need media because we need the transparency, about what happens in decision-making. How those decisions are made. And for them to have the ability to report out. I grew up with the CBC. It’s a channel that’s available in every household within this country. Because not everyone in this country has access to sturdy Wi-Fi. So what other option do you have to get the news? What about emergency events? What about what’s happening … we are in an earthquake zone. We need a reliable station so we know what to do. How to be prepared, where to go, and what to do I don’t like the fact that the media I subscribe to is getting smaller and shorter. That the reporters are stretched, covering many stories all at once. How else are we going to know what’s going on. How do we learn what is real and what is fake? Go CBC!
Communist [Robert Crooks]: It’s a good question and I think it’s on a lot of people’s minds. I think the reason that because of the quality of the CBC over the years has really declined, it’s not the CBC that I remember growing up with. It’s very important that we do have a democratic media channel delivering news, radio, television. We need this funding for Canadian culture because we’re so infiltrated by the US and all the propaganda — even the very subtle propaganda that comes across the border from the US. The CBC had decreased its real funding by 30 percent between 1985 and 2019. That went down 14 cents to 6 cents per person. We need to be refunding the CBC. The reason the CBC is so bad now is that we haven’t been funding it properly. And so it tends to turn to commercial and private interests for funding. And not becoming clear show they’re getting this funding. It’s becoming hard to track where they’re getting their funding from. The reports aren’t going to parliament and are not being talked about. So we don’t know where they’re getting their funding from. But we know they’re getting it from more commercial sources. So we to properly fund the CBC so it serves people in Canada so it’s not beholden to profits, to corporations. And we need to think about developing things like the National Film Board.
Green [Ben Homer-Dixon]: My response to the possibility that CBC’s funding might be slashed is simple. Don’t do it. The CBC is a national community which we need now more than ever. The lost CBC funding would additionally reduce the accountability of those who would see it destroyed through their own active efforts. A unified level national reliable news program is vital for a functional democracy. Therefore I absolutely wholeheartedly believe that rather than slashing the funding for the CBC we should be increasing it. So that they can do a better job, so they can deliver the information and the news and the knowledge that people across Canada require.
===== RELATED:
- Lopsided federal candidates debate in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke explores wide range of issues (April 13, 2025)
- NDP candidate Maja Tait enters federal politics during socioeconomic shift (March 27, 2025)
- Journalism access and news publishing essential for free press in Canada (March 20, 2025)
- Municipalities & businesses can help save journalism by shifting ads from social media (August 11, 2023)
- International Day of Democracy includes view on journalism (September 15, 2022)
- Journalism in further danger of losing autonomy in Canada (February 20, 2020)
- NEWS SECTIONS: NEWS MEDIA | CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION 2025 | CANADA-NATIONAL