CBC supporters pan cuts to public broadcaster in federal budget
Supporters of Canada’s public broadcaster say they are planning to rally against cuts to the CBC, after the federal budget delivered by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty today (March 29) revealed $115 million in cuts to the Crown corporation over the next three years.
According to budget documents, the cuts will be phased in, starting with $27.8 million in 2012-2013, $69.6 million in 2013-14, and reaching the full $115 million in reductions by 2014-15.
“It’s a dark day for public broadcasting in Canada, and it would be easy just to throw in the towel, but we’re not going to do that,” Ian Morrison, the spokesperson for the advocacy group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, told the Straight by phone.
“We’re going to stand up to the Harper bullies, including James Moore…and we’ll be calling on Canadians to join us.”
Morrison predicted that the cuts, which amount to about 10 percent of the broadcaster’s funding, will lead to hundreds of people losing their jobs.
He argued that the reductions also translate to a retreat on the Conservative government’s commitment last election to maintain or increase support for the broadcaster—a promise that was reiterated by Heritage Minister James Moore the day after the election last May.
“So they’ve broken that promise today, in a rather vindictive way,” Morrison charged.
The cuts to CBC comprise the largest portion of the $191.1 million in spending reductions planned for Canadian Heritage programs over the next three years. The department overall will see a $46.2 million reduction, while funding for the National Film Board of Canada will be reduced by $6.7 million, the Library and Archives of Canada budget will decrease by $9.6 million, and Telefilm Canada will see a $10.6 million reduction. Canada’s national museums will not see any cuts.
According to Jamie Biggar, the spokesperson for the Reimagine CBC project, the 10 percent cut to CBC, compared to a seven percent reduction for the Canadian Heritage department, singles out the broadcaster.
“It appears that the CBC is being targeted to a degree by this budget, which is unfortunate, because…there’s a strong majority of Canadians that support either maintaining or increasing funding for the CBC, so this budget is quite out of step with public opinion, public support for the CBC as an institution,” he told the Straight by phone.
Biggar said his group intends to continue gathering supporters through a petition against cuts to the corporation that has collected nearly 30,000 signatures, and to encourage input from members of the public on the future of the broadcaster.
“The heaviest cuts are going to come in 2014,” he noted. “We think that this may be basically a trial balloon, to see how Canadians react to these levels of cuts to the CBC. So our intention in the short-term is going to be to keep organizing Canadians to speak out against these cuts, and try to shoot down that problem.”
CBC/Radio-Canada said in a statement that it will view its approach for dealing with the reduction in a way that “doesn’t overly compromise” its strategy for the future.
“The measures that CBC/Radio-Canada intends to take over the next three years will be set out in greater detail for our employees and the Canadians we serve as soon as possible,” the statement read.
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) issued a statement this afternoon indicating the organization was pleased to see that funding for the Canada Council for the Arts was maintained in the budget, but the group panned the cuts to Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
“Culture isn’t just a feel good frill, it’s a creative industry that contributes more than $85 billion and hundreds of thousands of jobs to the economy,” said Stephen Waddell, national director for ACTRA, in the statement.
“Clearly, we need to work harder to make sure that the officials presiding over these decisions understand that cultural industries are a key driver in Canada’s digital economy, generating much needed jobs and billions of dollars in revenue.”
Moore was not immediately available for comment.
Comments
12 Comments
Dianne G
Mar 29, 2012 at 5:20pm
Moore was not immediately available for comment - what a surprise!
I won't believe what baloney he says anyways. Why should we - he and his government broke their twice made promises to maintain or increase support for the CBC.
Why do people vote for such deliberately forgetful politicians again and again ad nauseum.
Congo
Mar 29, 2012 at 5:54pm
While there may be something sacred about public broadcasting there is not necessarily anything scared about the institution which is the CBC. Public broadcasting in Canada encompasses more than the CBC and includes the network of campus and community radio stations across the country as well as provincially funded television broadcasters. A mandate review of public broadcasting in Canada is long overdue ~ this is what is really required, not predictable "outrage" about cuts to the CBC. What is the role of public broadcasting in the 21st Century media landscape? What is the CBC's place in that? How do we define relevancy? Distinctiveness? It strikes me that an argument can be made that CBC Television, in particular, has lost it's way in this respect. What is an innovative and adequate financing formula to support a renewed public broadcasting mandate? Both Liberal and Conservative governments have made cuts to the CBC and have contributed to the situation in which the CBC is behaves partly like a public broadcaster and partly like a private broadcaster...a strange hybrid, alienating its course audience and desperately trying to attract a new one.
You're kidding, right
Mar 29, 2012 at 7:59pm
Well said, Congo. We need public broadcasting and the diversity it brings to the public discourse.
But at any cost? I think not.It's not up to the CBC to pander to "popular taste' (that's what private broadcasting is for) but they need to review, and renew. In fact, the CBC should be in an enviable position: to help us explore, define and finally come up with a definition about "what it is that makes it Canadian". CBC TV is very far off that mark, right now.
ever thought of this?
Mar 29, 2012 at 8:25pm
The straight and other private media groups should not have to compete against a taxpayer funded entity. The government should not be in the business of media. Its duty is to regulate, not compete.
Jim Van Rassel
Mar 29, 2012 at 9:18pm
And I quote the fat man,
"We have said that we will maintain or increase support for the CBC. That is our platform and we have said that before and we will commit to that". James Moore May 3rd 2011
March 29th 2012 MP James Moore under Mr Stephen Harper budget, cuts $115 million dollars from the CBC.
James Moore you empty man. I really feel sorry for you, a man without his word is truly worthless.
Jim Van Rassel
Coquitlam BC
Lorn
Mar 30, 2012 at 7:39am
As someone opposed to war and torture, I view the CBC as nothing but a source of propaganda which covers up these crimes.
Their coverage and censorship on Libya and Syria is outrageous.
As for censorship at cbcnews.ca, they have already quietly (with as much secrecy as possible) privatized this "function".
A big dirty company, ICUC Moderation Services does perception management (trolls for hire) for big oil, big pharma and for our CBC.
If only CBC lived up to its wonderful reputation.......
Chantal
Mar 30, 2012 at 9:06am
The CBC behaves like corporate run media. Remember the 2011 Vancouver Civic Elections? Remember how the CBC basically excluded all but the two largest corporate funded parties? Many of us will never forget. We're left with 3 more years of Vision Vancouver thanks to you CBC.
James G
Mar 30, 2012 at 10:28am
I can only wonder to what degree this was planned before the election and to what degree the television network precipitated the cuts by planting its' collective lips so firmly on Bob Rae's ass since.
Even so, I oppose the cuts. Without CBC TV, there is only the one pro-Conservative pole of mainstream electronic media. At least with the CBC, there is a pro-Liberal pole. Sometimes the presumed news tossed out by each side allows a glimmer of truth to emerge.
K. Mauro
Mar 30, 2012 at 11:18am
Who cares if CBC doen't receives big grants. If it can't make it on it's own, too bad. It should get it's money from the people that watch or listen to it, like every other specialty station. I, for one, totally dislike most of the music they play and the endless "on and on" talk shows. Why should I support it any more than I would a "rap" music station.
Thank you..
I care
Mar 30, 2012 at 11:45am
And am disappointed in how much influence Harper has on Canadian's News. The worst case senario because much of news is more entertainment than actual events that really matter to Canadians and how they are preceived. It hurts you bet, CBC was the news you could rely on and it is such a shame to Canada that Government has the Broadcaster out panhandling putting spreading the news a little thin.