Tories accused of CBC 'witch hunt' by opposition

[mentalfloss]

CBC President expected to testify

The Conservatives initiated a study of the Crown corporation's battle in the courts with the Information commissioner over who has the right to examine records the CBC has blocked from release.

CBC president Hubert Lacroix is expected to testify at the committee next week. He has yet to take a position on whether the corporation will agree to a Conservative-led motion to have the CBC turn over internal records related to access requests.

The NDP and Liberal MPs on the access to information committee have boycotted its proceedings, arguing that its activities are treading on the jurisdiction of the courts. The Canadian Bar Association has also said that the committee should hold off on its study until the Federal Court of Appeal has dealt with the CBC access issue.


Most support CBC funding, survey suggests

The Conservative government's long-standing promise to keep the CBC's federal funding stable appears to be in tune with public opinion.

A Harris-Decima survey conducted for The Canadian Press suggests 46 per cent of Canadians would like the CBC's funding to stay at the current level and 23 per cent would like it to be increased.

On the flip side, 22 per cent say funding should be cut, while 12 per cent say it should be eliminated altogether.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has said for years that it would not cut the CBC's budget, while noting recently that the CBC would not be immune from government-wide belt-tightening.

The future of the CBC has been a subject of debate in federal politics this fall, with the Crown corporation under parliamentary scrutiny for its tardy approach to access to information. That's led the National Citizens Coalition and some Conservative MPs to launch petitions to have the CBC's funding cut. Earlier this fall, the Conservative party sent a survey to its members asking whether the broadcaster was a good or bad value.

The Harris-Decima poll would suggest there isn't a wave of support for cutting the CBC's $1.1-billion subsidy. "The biggest conclusion that I drew is that for the most part, the public seemed to be saying steady as it goes and half of them basically are saying, I'm more comfortable given these options to keep the funding as it is," said Doug Anderson, executive vice-president at Harris Decima.

The survey found that Canadians who wanted the funding decreased or cut completely were more likely to be Conservative supporters, men, those over the age of 50 and respondents living in Alberta.

Those who were for increased funding were most likely to be from Atlantic Canada, New Democrats and those with household incomes exceeding $100,000 annually.

Meanwhile, the Liberal party has mounted its own petition to protect CBC funding.
The telephone poll of 1,000 Canadians was conducted Oct. 27-31 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.


Most support CBC funding, survey suggests - Politics - CBC News

 

[taxslave]

CBC President expected to testify

The Conservatives initiated a study of the Crown corporation's battle in the courts with the Information commissioner over who has the right to examine records the CBC has blocked from release.

CBC president Hubert Lacroix is expected to testify at the committee next week. He has yet to take a position on whether the corporation will agree to a Conservative-led motion to have the CBC turn over internal records related to access requests.

The NDP and Liberal MPs on the access to information committee have boycotted its proceedings, arguing that its activities are treading on the jurisdiction of the courts. The Canadian Bar Association has also said that the committee should hold off on its study until the Federal Court of Appeal has dealt with the CBC access issue.


Most support CBC funding, survey suggests

The Conservative government's long-standing promise to keep the CBC's federal funding stable appears to be in tune with public opinion.

A Harris-Decima survey conducted for The Canadian Press suggests 46 per cent of Canadians would like the CBC's funding to stay at the current level and 23 per cent would like it to be increased.

On the flip side, 22 per cent say funding should be cut, while 12 per cent say it should be eliminated altogether.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has said for years that it would not cut the CBC's budget, while noting recently that the CBC would not be immune from government-wide belt-tightening.

The future of the CBC has been a subject of debate in federal politics this fall, with the Crown corporation under parliamentary scrutiny for its tardy approach to access to information. That's led the National Citizens Coalition and some Conservative MPs to launch petitions to have the CBC's funding cut. Earlier this fall, the Conservative party sent a survey to its members asking whether the broadcaster was a good or bad value.

The Harris-Decima poll would suggest there isn't a wave of support for cutting the CBC's $1.1-billion subsidy. "The biggest conclusion that I drew is that for the most part, the public seemed to be saying steady as it goes and half of them basically are saying, I'm more comfortable given these options to keep the funding as it is," said Doug Anderson, executive vice-president at Harris Decima.

The survey found that Canadians who wanted the funding decreased or cut completely were more likely to be Conservative supporters, men, those over the age of 50 and respondents living in Alberta.

Those who were for increased funding were most likely to be from Atlantic Canada, New Democrats and those with household incomes exceeding $100,000 annually.

Meanwhile, the Liberal party has mounted its own petition to protect CBC funding.
The telephone poll of 1,000 Canadians was conducted Oct. 27-31 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.


Most support CBC funding, survey suggests - Politics - CBC News

OBviously they did their survey within the CBC ranks since few people out here want anything to do with it. A thousand people survey does not give any kind of picture of what 33 million people are thinking.

 

[mentalfloss]

OBviously they did their survey within the CBC ranks since few people out here want anything to do with it. A thousand people survey does not give any kind of picture of what 33 million people are thinking.

Based on that sample size, the margin of error is within 5%.

 

[darkbeaver]

If you removed the government funding and let them earn money on their own, then there would be no need for government interference.

I wonder how that would work with banking?

 

[taxslave]

Based on that sample size, the margin of error is within 5%.

Only in theory. It all depends on regional attitudes and where the majority of those polled live. That is like saying that prior to the last election the Bloc had 5
0% or so of the popular vote by extrapolating the figures from Quebec to the entire country. If CBC was actually so popular there would not be such a demand for Sirius radio and TV dishes outside of the heavily populated areas. Nor would we have mandated Canadian content on TV.

I wonder how that would work with banking?

Probably the banks would be in the same position as CBC without taxpayer support.

 

[mentalfloss]

Only in theory. It all depends on regional attitudes and where the majority of those polled live. That is like saying that prior to the last election the Bloc had 5
0% or so of the popular vote by extrapolating the figures from Quebec to the entire country. If CBC was actually so popular there would not be such a demand for Sirius radio and TV dishes outside of the heavily populated areas. Nor would we have mandated Canadian content on TV.

The poll was taken nationally.

I thought this was pretty funny (and obvious) though...

• Those who want funding to the CBC decreased, or eliminated entirely, are more likely to be Conservative supporters, men, those over the age of 50, and living in Alberta.

Harris/Decima - Plurality Want CBC Funding Kept at Current Level

 

[petros]

We need to elect smarter people.

 

[mentalfloss]

CBC surrenders documents to committee under protest

OTTAWA — The CBC has given a Commons committee some of the documents it has been seeking, but the broadcaster is doing so under protest.

CBC president Hubert Lacroix says the broadcaster is complying with an order from the access-to-information committee, even though he says the order may be unconstitutional. Some of the documents are sealed, however, and the CBC has asked MPs to read a legal opinion the corporation has obtained before opening the material.

In a letter sent to the committee, Lacroix says the documents relate to an access request from Quebecor Media. An unsealed envelope contains papers Lacroix says won't compromise CBC's journalistic independence, while he says the sealed documents could affect the CBC's ability to carry out its business.

The corporation wants the committee to seek a ruling from the Speaker of the House of Commons on whether the envelope should be unsealed.

Parliament's top lawyer has said Conservative MPs could be violating the Constitution by forcing the CBC to turn over documents it says are protected under privacy law. Writing in response to legal questions from the NDP, parliamentary law clerk and counsel Rob Walsh said in a letter released Sunday the issue could end up in the courts, where he said it is likely to fail.

Walsh said the bid to peek at the CBC's internal files clearly conflicts with a case now before the Federal Court of Appeal which pits the CBC against the information commissioner. Walsh said the committee might study the documents behind closed doors, but even then he fears a leak could compromise CBC's privacy rights and undermine the ongoing legal case.

He said nothing short of the courts' credibility and independence is at stake.

The matter, he warned, could well end up before a judge, where it is not likely to turn out well for those seeking the release. "I feel that the ... principle of the separation of powers ... is sufficiently important in constitutional terms that a court might see the merits of the argument and rule against the House," he wrote.

"In my view, respect for the constitutional framework of our parliamentary system of government is part of the rule of law which is the over-riding legal principle that makes a democratic system of government such as ours workable and credible."

The motion by Tory Dean Del Mastro involves records the CBC has provided to Quebecor media outlets and others, as well as records it has held back. The public broadcaster redacted or withheld certain documents citing its exemption under the Access to Information Act for journalistic, creative and programming activity.

The CBC has argued that only a judge should be able to take a look at the records, and Walsh agreed.

"In my view, such initiatives are not within the constitutional functions of the House or, by extension, its committees and the use of the House's powers to demand the production of documents for such purposes could be found to be invalid and unenforceable at law."

The committee should hold off any review of the CBC files until the court proceedings have ended, he said.

CTV News - CBC surrenders documents to committee under protest

 

[petros]

Govt sanctioned espionage. Cooooool!

 

[Locutus]

Protest all you want.

Just show tax-payers how you spend the money (that won't actually, actually and really and truly compromise your competitivness with the competition). A billion a year is still a billion each and every year. Pretty big chunk of allowance.

Kinda simple.

 

[damngrumpy]

To start with I personally do not want to see the CBC become another commercial station
complete with news that is little more than fluff. The whole concept of what is news is now
in question as commercial stations include entertainment and fashion files in their news
programs in prime time. If I want that information I would just watch entertainment tonight.
I want to be informed not entertained.

As for the media being under scrutiny why not? I want to see the news is being handled in
a professional manner. The CBC does dig deeper than most news outlets and rightfully so.
I expect them to as they have more time due to no commercial or less commercial content.
Having said that I want to see that it is fair coverage. What gets me is the Tories want to
make claims that the CBC is unfair, yet they scoff and blow off the fact that they were found
to be in violation of the elections act with the in out scheme as it was called some time ago.

Government must be held accountable and as the fifth estate the media must also be held
accountable. We do want to ensure that people have information that is accurate and on
target with the truth.

 

[petros]

Protest all you want.

Just show tax-payers how you spend the money (that won't actually, actually and really and truly compromise your competitiveness with the competition). A billion a year is still a billion each and every year. Pretty big chunk of allowance.

Kinda simple.

Why the **** should the "competition" have access to another corp's financials? How does that fit into "competing" ? That is like bidding on a tender while knowing what the others have bid because it was given too you.

 

[Locutus]

Why the **** should the "competition" have access to another corp's financials? How does that fit into "competing" ? That is like bidding on a tender while knowing what the others have bid because it was given too you.

*** ***** a ******* ***** of **** ********* *****-******.

That's why.

 

[petros]

Is that right? What made you come to that deluded conclusion?

 

[mentalfloss]

Money can’t buy love: Why every government hates the CBC

Another week, another skirmish in the culture war that centres on the CBC.

On the weekend, an outfit called the Free Thinking Film Festival presented a documentary called The Biases of the CBC at an event in Ottawa. It cost $15 to attend. (Fifteen bucks! Jiminy. You can read any amount of online accusations against the CBC for free, 24/7.)

The event followed closely on the release of a Harris-Decima survey done for the Canadian Press, which suggests that 46 per cent of Canadians would like the CBC's funding to stay at the current level and 23 per cent would like it to be increased.

The poll and its release by CP was immediately attacked by one of CBC’s most relentless critics, Brian Lilley of Sun News Network, a TV channel owned by Quebecor, a direct commercial competitor to CBC/Radio-Canada. As the Sun News site summarized a video of Lilley’s attack, “Brian Lilley looks at why a CP poll showing most people support the CBC is riddled with hidden bias and self-interest.”

And what, pray tell, is all this hidden bias and self-interest from a respected polling firm? According to Lilley, “Most people don’t know how much the CBC gets.” This makes the poll dubious, he says. But that’s not all. On TV he attacked The Globe’s story about the poll on the basis that the story came from “The Globe-owned CP.” Which is odd. Canadian Press Enterprises is now a for-profit national news-gathering agency with joint investment from The Globe and Mail, Torstar and the parent company of La Presse.

Further, in his onscreen attack, Lilley found fault with the fact that the story about the poll was written by Jennifer Ditchburn – “The story is by Jennifer Ditchburn, a regular paid contributor to CBC.” He continued in characteristic harrumph mode: “Ditchburn writes about the CBC, normally in very positive manner but doesn’t disclose her influence, her own financial relationship with the CBC.” By that he means that for occasional punditry on CBC or CBC NN, Ditchburn might get paid about $250.

Nowhere did Lilley point out that he’s a paid employee of Quebecor, a company that stands to possibly make a fortune from the diminishment of CBC/Radio-Canada, a competitor in the French-language media here. The debate about the CBC, its alleged biases and its funding has now reached the level of farce encapsulated by Lilley’s hooey, a bizarre blend of hypocrisy and paranoia, about “hidden bias and self-interest.” CP can’t even have a Harris-Decima poll about the CBC and report on it without allegations of rampant bias. By the way, I’ve never met Jennifer Ditchburn, but I know for a fact that her favourite shows are The OC, The Sopranos and Kath & Kim, none of which has ever aired on CBC-TV.

And, according to her, other broadcasters – CTV, CPAC, Global – pay her a small fee for punditry too. Ditchburn also says nobody from Sun News has ever contacted her for comment or information.

It’s the money thing that matters, though. At the core of the Sun News Network attacks on the CBC (and the CBC’s reluctance to release certain information under the Access to Information Act) is the knee-jerk assertion that any exchange of money means the person taking the money is automatically and abidingly beholden to those who give it.

This belief also extends to the issue at the heart of the battle over the CBC. It is always assumed, by any government, that because the CBC receives public funding, it is beholden to the government of the day. Scrutiny by a body that receives public funding, via the government, is deeply resented. There is a base political presumption that a public broadcaster should not scrutinize the doings of a government. Money buys you love is the central belief.

There is nothing unique about this Conservative government’s loathing for the CBC and the hatred directed at CBC by Conservative MPs and their supporters. The latter approach the CBC the way the zombies on The Walking Dead approach the living characters – hungry for blood. But it was a Liberal government that wreaked the greatest havoc on the CBC’s funding. First, remember, the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney cut CBC funding, promising that it was a temporary measure. But then the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien, after promising stable long-term funding, cut more than $350-million from the CBC’s operating budget in 1995.

If there were an NDP government in power, it’s a safe bet that it would cast a cold eye on the CBC, see unwarranted scrutiny and attack the CBC too. Public money buys you love from the public broadcaster is a belief shared by all parties. You can bet your bottom dollar on it.

It’s the nature of politics, one supposes. But, right now, one warped into mind-boggling paranoia by Sun News, some Conservative MPs and their followers. Everybody needs to calm down and acknowledge that every government loathes the CBC.

Why every government hates the CBC - The Globe and Mail

 

[taxslave]

The poll was taken nationally.

I thought this was pretty funny (and obvious) though...

• Those who want funding to the CBC decreased, or eliminated entirely, are more likely to be Conservative supporters, men, those over the age of 50, and living in Alberta.

Harris/Decima - Plurality Want CBC Funding Kept at Current Level

That would be the group that pays the most taxes to keep this money pit forcing Toronto's view onto the rural areas. That is why we spent a lot of money installing satellite radios in bush machines so we can get music etc without the blather.

 

[petros]

. That is why we spent a lot of money installing satellite radios in bush machines so we can get music etc without the blather.

and no Nickelback.

 

[Walter]

Why? I can name oodles of things that NEED to be axed to save you $5 a year (as if you'd ever see it).

Start naming.

 

[TenPenny]

That would be the group that pays the most taxes to keep this money pit forcing Toronto's view onto the rural areas. That is why we spent a lot of money installing satellite radios in bush machines so we can get music etc without the blather.

Satellite radio programming owned 15% by....CBC.

Awesome!

 

[taxslave]

Satellite radio programming owned 15% by....CBC.

Awesome!

No CBC owns a share of sirius radio. They are just the carrier like Shaw Cable. You get about a thousand stations.