They Have Friends?
The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, spokesperson Ian Morrison claimed that a confidential source had alerted the organization of “Conservative plans to slash a devastating $200 million from the CBC’s parliamentary grant“.
“It’s a source that we know and that we trust and that has seen the document,” Morrison told the Straight in a phone call. “The document exists. It’s official enough that it exists in two official languages. It’s not just some kind of casual memo. Its status is that it’s a document of the Conservative Party of Canada, not the government of Canada….We interpret it as a policy proposal from somebody fairly high in the Conservative party.”
If true, the cut could cripple Canada’s national broadcaster, which received $974.3 million in operating funding and $93.1 million on amortisation of deferred capital funding from the feds in 2007; down from 2006, when it received $1 billion in operating funding and $118 million on amortisation of deferred capital funding.
The CBC’s total expenses in both years was $1.7 billion; a loss of $200 million would mean more than a 20-percent cut in the broadcaster’s operating grant. (h/t)
Here’s how out of touch these “friends” are:
POLITICAL CRISIS: Invest in Culture for Economic Recovery
In these critical times, investing in culture should be a key ingredient in Canada’s plan for economic recovery. As the Conference Board has identified, Canada’s creative economy counts for 6% of the GDP – $85 billion – and is extremely labour-intensive. Public broadcasting and other cultural industries offer a chance to build economic recovery while enhancing cultural sovereignty.
Now that Parliament has been prorogued, please send an email to your MP and the party leaders asking for investment in culture as a contribution to economic recovery.
First, I don’t think CBC is part of the ‘creative economy’, and the ‘6% of GDP’ number has absolutely nothing to do with them. They contribute a negative to GDP. How they can be a part of the recovery is beyond me.
Frankly, if it wasn’t for Hockey Night In Canada, there would be no reason to have this network.
Maybe Harper can privatize it to balance the budget?
Or maybe they can get off their asses and start selling ads like their competition.
December 21st, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I hope that this fear and smear campaign is wrong> I hbope that the government cuts 100 % of the funding, grants and all other payments to the CBC! One cent is too much!!
December 21st, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I hope that this fear and smear campaign is wrong. I hope that the government cuts 100 % of the funding, grants and all other payments to the CBC! One cent is too much!!
December 21st, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.
Allen Taylor
December 21st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Why wouldn’t the CBC do like other networks and news agencies and make cuts during these challenging times.
I don’t think this is a bad thing at all….IF the CBC refuses or uses it, through the Bloc/Lib/NDP coaltion
they should be held up as bad examples.
December 21st, 2008 at 1:06 pm
$200 million, down $1 billion still to go
December 21st, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Its about time the CBC was sold off. It is a ridiculous waste of tax dollars. 50 years ago, yes, we needed a public broadcaster but those days have long gone. For heavens sake there are so many more urgent needs for government funding. I hope the Conservatives will do the right thing and eliminate the CBC.
December 21st, 2008 at 2:17 pm
What a crock! The CBC serves no purpose other than to further their Liberal agenda. What CBC reports is so skewed, and so biased that it is nothing but junk journalism and quite frankly should be banned. The so-called CBC “cult”-ure has outlived any usefulness it may have once had and should not receive one red cent of tax payers money.
December 21st, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Now that is a christmas present, chop the budget of those liberano lackies, I am so sick of their smug faces as they spin the news to suit the Liberano/NDP/Bloc coalition.Do we really need claptrap like “little Mosque “.
Cheers Bubba
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
A state-funded broadcaster that exists to employ the unemployables, commies and asssorted other misfits is an obscene outrage to the Cdn. taxpayer…this damned garbage pile should have been nuked and buried years ago.