Debate resumes on CBC-privatization bill, vote deferred

OTTAWA — A Conservative backbencher’s bill to privatize CBC/Radio-Canada found a little more support from party colleagues in the House of Commons Monday, but it likely won’t be enough to push it to committee stage. As opposed to its first appearance for debate in February, the private member’s bill had more than its sponsor Brad Trost — who is also running for leadership of his party — speaking in its favour. Conservative MPs David Anderson and Arnold Viersen (who seconded the bill) both offered support for the legislation that proposes to incorporate the public broadcaster, by creating shares for citizens to purchase and removing its federal subsidy. But Opposition heritage critic Peter Van Loan said that “there are some very real questions that we as Conservatives have but make it clear, make it understood by everyone, that party policy position is that we support a public broadcaster.” According to the policy document, last updated following the party’s May 2016 national convention, the Conservative Party believes the CBC “should offer a wide range of Canadian and international programming, while being respectful of Canadian content. The system should provide audiences with maximum choice and have the ability to utilize new technologies to achieve its public and private objectives.” It also calls the CBC “an important part of the broadcasting system in Canada,” says that “it must be a true public service broadcaster, relevant to all Canadians,” and that the party will focus the CBC and Radio-Canada “services on its mandates as public broadcasting services.” The CBC hasn’t always fulfilled its mandate, Van Loan said, adding that “we would just like the CBC to play that role of a genuine public broadcaster bringing our literature, bringing the theatre of Canada, bringing the music of Canada.” He pointed to the currently running historical series Canada: The Story of Us and the Anne of Green Gables reboot as well as the previous weekend’s coverage of the Vimy Ridge battle centennial as “rare” examples of the “fine programming” of which CBC is capable. “If the CBC is to avoid facing an ongoing tide of the kind of initiatives that we’re debating right here — to privatize the CBC, to abolish the CBC — they should look very seriously at how they can better play that role at being a genuine public broadcaster,” Van Loan said. In voicing his support for Trost’s bill, Anderson said he also looked to the party policy to gauge whether he could support it and highlighted that while the policy specifies support for a “public service broadcaster,” nowhere does it say that broadcaster has to be publicly funded. “What could show the public support for a broadcaster more than having private shares issued so that the public decides if it wants to support it or not and those Canadians who want to step forward then can put their money where they want it to be?" Anderson said. A recorded vote on whether to send the bill to committee will be held May 3. — With reporting by Charelle Evelyn at cevelyn@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Debate resumes on CBC-privatization bill, vote deferred

Broadcast | April 10, 2017

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Debate resumes on CBC-privatization bill, vote deferred

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