Bernier would streamline CBC’s mandate, remove ads as CPC leader

OTTAWA — Conservative MP Maxime Bernier said Wednesday that if he is selected as the next leader of the federal Conservative Party and the next Canadian prime minister, he would move to make changes to CBC/Radio-Canada that would keep it from competing with the private sector. “Do we need a public broadcaster that runs bad Canadian copies of American popular shows?” Bernier asked, during a press conference on Parliament Hill, also questioning the need for CBC to air cooking and game shows, sports and be involved in music streaming. Under a Bernier-led government, the CBC would refocus on its mandate to be “predominantly and distinctively Canadian and contribute to our national consciousness and identity” as well as “reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences,” Bernier said. “When was the last time you saw a panel of guests on national TV debating the issues of the day in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan or the North?” he said. Bernier would also claw back the additional $150 million the Liberals restored to the broadcaster, bringing public funding back down to $1 billion, and, if more funds are required, have the CBC shift to a model used by public broadcasters in the United States where they solicit sponsorship from corporations and foundations as well as from their audiences. “For me, the most important thing for the Canadian taxpayers is for the Canadian government, it will cost less,” said Bernier, who earlier this summer said he would dismantle the CRTC. Of the 12 confirmed leadership candidates, Bernier is the first to outline a campaign plank regarding the CBC, though Brad Trost has long called for the privatization of the public broadcaster. Trost currently has a private member’s bill in front of Parliament to incorporate the CBC. The other candidates vying to win the May 2017 leadership race are Chris Alexander, Steven Blaney, Michael Chong, Kellie Leitch, Daniel Lindsay, Deepak Obhrai, Erin O’Toole, Lisa Raitt, Andrew Saxton, and Andrew Scheer. Unlike Trost, Bernier said he wants to keep the CBC as a public broadcaster and that his plan would be a worthy challenge “because I think we need a public broadcaster in Canada in line with the new mandate to promote Canadian identity, to promote news from all across the country in different regions, and I think there’s a role to play.” He disagreed with CBC president Hubert Lacroix’s letter sent Monday to the House of Commons standing committee on Canadian Heritage, addressing concerns raised by private companies that CBC’s participation in the digital space hurts local media. Bernier said it’s not CBC’s role “to please everyone,” and that he wasn’t happy when the public broadcaster made cuts to regional stations and coverage, which came after the previous government cut its subsidy. “That’s their role and their mandate and they must do that,” Bernier said. “So I think it is not their role to compete with other broadcasters and the way to do that is to be sure, first of all, they don’t do any advertising anymore and they will try to raise money from the public or from other solutions, but not from the taxpayers.” — With reporting by Charelle Evelyn at cevelyn@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Bernier would streamline CBC’s mandate, remove ads as CPC leader

Broadcast | November 23, 2016

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Bernier would streamline CBC’s mandate, remove ads as CPC leader

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