Stop the Hogs!

If Poilievre Won’t Play by the Rules, Journalists Shouldn’t Take the Bait

[ https://thewalrus.ca/poilievre-media/ ]

The Walrus - BY ASMAA MALIK - SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

QUOTE: "If the Conservatives win the next election, CBC leaders are well aware they should brace themselves for a serious reckoning, once again. In a campaign ploy reminiscent of Stephen Harper’s unfulfilled promise to defund the national broadcaster, Poilievre’s vow to save “$1 billion” by axing funding for the CBC plays well with populist supporters who distrust mainstream media.

Further diminishing the CBC would have cascading effects on Canada’s journalism-starved cities and rural communities, which have seen the closures of hundreds of news outlets in recent years. It would also end its Indigenous-focused news services, including programming in eight Indigenous languages. Poilievre has promised to spare Radio-Canada because of its support for “French-language minorities,” who he says cannot get news and information from a competitive media market. The logic of the Radio-Canada exception is misleading, as there are still several French-language print, digital, and broadcast news options in Canada, although many are based in Quebec, including La Presse, Le Devoir, Le Journal de Montréal, TV5 Québec, and Groupe TVA. . . . "

MORE:

"'I can’t wait to defund the CBC': Pierre Poilievre doubles down on plan to axe CBC after board approves bonuses"

[ https://torontosun.com/news/national/i- ... es-bonuses ]

Toronto Sun - Mark Daniell - July 16, 2024

QUOTE: "“I can’t wait to defund the CBC and sell off the headquarters for housing,” Poilievre wrote in a post shared to X along with a link inviting his followers to a website calling on the Liberals to end subsidies to the state broadcaster. [ https://x.com/pierrepoilievre/status/18 ... 0735792356 ] . . . .

“At $33 per Canadian — a dime a day — CBC/Radio-Canada is one of the worst-funded public broadcasters in the world, with four times less funding than the U.K. and France and eight times less than Germany,” Tait said. “Until that situation changes, we must continue to manage with what we have and do our very best to stretch limited resources to meet our mandate.” . . . .

“Pierre Poilievre is recklessly threatening to cut a service that millions of Canadians rely on. He has said he would keep Radio-Canada, but has not acknowledged how cutting CBC would impact them,” the Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage said in an email to Postmedia. “He has repeatedly attacked professional journalists for asking tough questions and reporting the facts. As we face rampant disinformation, including from foreign sources, leaders must stand up for Canadians being able to get reliable, independent news and information. Poilievre and his Conservatives have chosen to leave Canadians with less sources of local, trustworthy, independent news, information and content. It’s irresponsible when CBC/Radio-Canada is supported and regularly used by a majority of Canadians.”"