Parties differ on plans for CBC, digital policy in federal election platforms

Multiple federal parties have released their 2025 election platforms ahead of Monday’s vote, announcing differing plans to address broadcast funding and regulations, online crime, and internet and cellular connectivity. Federal funding for CBC/Radio-Canada has been a recurring topic throughout the election campaign. Some parties championed more support for the public broadcaster, while others called for its funding to be cut. The Liberal Party of Canada, which released its platform over the weekend, said it plans to boost funding for CBC/Radio-Canada by an initial boost of $150 million annually. The New Democratic Party, which also released its platform over the weekend, pledged the same $150 million in annual funding. The Liberal party said it would establish statutory funding for CBC to ensure the public broadcaster is not “subject to the whims of government.” The Liberals would work towards bringing the broadcaster’s long-term funding levels “in line with the average funding of other national public broadcasters.” In February, then-Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge released her proposed changes for CBC’s mandate. Her suggestions to the next government included providing CBC with annual, statutory per capita funding in line with the average public broadcaster funding level for G7 countries – about $62 per capita. Currently, CBC gets about $33.66 per capita – or $1.38 billion. When Prime Minister Mark Carney named his new cabinet in March, Steven Guilbeault (Laurier–Sainte-Marie, Que.) became the new Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity and Parks Canada. A Liberal government would develop a new governance plan that would improve accountability and make the broadcaster more efficient and innovative, the party said in its platform, without naming specifics for how it would do so. The party would also support the broadcaster in promoting Canadian and Quebec culture and identity. Further, the Liberals would add to CBC’s mandate the “clear and consistent” transmission of life-saving information during emergencies, as well as a commitment to including Indigenous perspectives. The party would also work to strengthen local news and combat disinformation. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has long campaigned to defund CBC while maintaining support for French-language Radio-Canada. The party reiterated this promise in its platform on Tuesday saying, “English-language CBC should be a Canadian-owned, self-sufficient media organization that is a not-for-profit and supported by listeners, donations, sponsorships, ad revenue, and licensing revenue.” The party said it would put federal funding into other support for media, boosting the Local Journalism Initiative by $25 million and providing $25 million to support Indigenous language media. The Conservatives also pledged to introduce a freedom of speech act to “repeal Liberal censorship laws” and in an effort to see Canadian news return to Meta Platforms Inc. and other platforms. Like the Tories, the People’s Party of Canada campaigned on defunding CBC but extended its commitment to abolishing federal funding for all Canadian media, including Radio-Canada. In terms of support for CBC, the Green Party of Canada’s platform shared many similarities with the Liberals’. It pledged to match funding levels with other internationally recognized public broadcasters and to expand Indigenous broadcasting. Unlike the Liberals, the party said it would fund the CBC to a point where it could restrict or eliminate advertisements, proposing a maximum limit of four minutes of ads per hour. The previous Liberal government pitched that CBC should stop advertising during its news programming. The Green Party also said it would restrict CBC from airing “syndicated foreign entertainment programming” and re-establish local news bureaus and daily suppertime TV news in English and French in multiple locations across all provinces and territories. The Bloc Québécois would support the modernization of CBC/Radio-Canada on the condition that the French and English networks become more independent. Online legislation The Liberal and Conservative platforms also outlined plans to combat online crime, topics which were being debated on the Hill in 2024. The Liberals’ online harms bill, Bill C-63, died when Parliament was prorogued in January. Many of the online crime plans outlined in the party’s new platform seem to have been formed on the rubble of Bill C-63. According to its platform, a Liberal government would make it a criminal offence to distribute non-consensual sexual deepfakes, increase penalties for the distribution of intimate images without consent, introduce legislation to protect children from online sexploitation and extortion, as well as crack down on child-luring. The Wire Report reached out to the Liberal party to ask whether these plans indicate a revival of Bill C-63 exactly as it stood before prorogation, but did not receive a response. In September 2024, the Conservatives tabled Bill C-412 as a response to the Liberals’ bill. It had many similarities to Bill C-63 but focused on the safety of minors online. The Tory platform, however, mentioned little about specific measures for online safety for minors. It did mention that the party would push for “stronger child protection online.” Like the Liberal platform, the party pledged new laws for AI deepfakes of intimate images. It also announced modernized laws against online harassment but did not provide examples for what those would entail. READ MORE: - OpenMedia calls federal digital policy ‘disaster’, makes pitches for feds’ consideration - As online harms bill splits in two, advocates continue seeking amendments - Four cyber bills dead on the order paper as Parliament prorogued The Green Party announced new ideas for providing high-speed internet access to rural and underserved areas. The party said it would expand Canada Post’s mandate to provide internet access for communities that may not have other access points. The party said the plan would “reduce Canada’s digital divide” by providing internet hubs at local post offices. If re-elected, the Liberals said they would invest in digital infrastructure, reliable high-speed communication networks, and improving rural broadband and cell service. The Bloc would propose that Ottawa fund Quebec’s development of cellular coverage “as it did for high-speed internet,” it said in French. No party mentioned changes to the government’s plan to deliver high-speed internet access to all Canadians by 2030. READ MORE: - Funding gaps, policy shortfalls keeping rural Canada offline, experts say - CRTC announces changes to Broadband Fund The Green Party proposed a number of changes for the CRTC, some of which the commission is already working on. The proposals include strengthening regulations of digital streaming platforms to ensure they contribute to Canadian content, increasing bandwidth allocation for independent non-profit and community broadcasters, modernizing CanCon regulations, and improving transparency in telecommunications billing. The Bloc would propose creating a conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications du Québec as an alternative to the CRTC in that province and making all public broadcasters’ online content free and accessible. The PPC pledged to repeal Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act. Poilievre made the same commitment during the questioning period after last week’s French debate in Montreal, but his party’s platform did not specifically mention repealing the bill. mcollins@thewirereport.ca news@thewirereport.ca READ MORE ELECTION 2025 NEWS FROM THE HILL TIMES: - Read it on Reddit? Project looks to help Canadians navigate online political conversations - Carney, Trudeau, and Trump play starring roles in the party’s biggest hits, say digital advertising experts - ‘I want to feel part of this moment’: Trump effect spurs expats to cast ballots from abroad

Parties differ on plans for CBC, digital policy in federal election platforms

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By Maria Collins
| April 23, 2025

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