If the Tories get back in, are they going to shitcan the Corpse or not?
A poll carried out by the Conservative Party suggests the answer is yes. It included the tendentious statement “The CBC costs taxpayers over $1.1 billion per year.†Respondents were asked if they “think this is… a good use of taxpayer dollars†or “a bad use†of them.
I love the right-wing-asshole talking point that the CBC “costs†over a billion. By implication, it all goes to CBC Television – i.e., you’re spending all that money just to put Wheel of Fortune on the air. Actually, according to the CBC’s 2007–2007 annual report (PDF), “taxpayer dollars†account for $974 million, not $1,100 million. But what’s a couple of hundred mil between enemies?
Stéphane Dion actually bothered to bring this up.
“I challenge Stephen Harper to be honest with Canadians and admit he dreams of shutting down the CBC,†the Liberal leader told a small gathering at Place des Arts in Montreal….
Dion portrayed the CBC as an essential voice and a buffer against omnipresent U.S. culture. “I know very well what CBC represents for English Canada: The ability to have our own voice facing the very strong cultural influence of the United States – which is a good thing – but at the same time, we need to develop our own ways to develop our arts and culture.… I know that the Conservatives – not the Progressive Conservatives, but the Conservatives that Mr. Harper represents – hate the CBC,†Dion said.
Drinking game? Count how many times in the next three weeks right-wing assholes talk about “privatization.†(Jim Shaw brings you… public television.)
11 Comments
No, we still endure the flaws of “first past the post”, where a candidate – or their party – only need 30-40 percent of the votes cast to win. Thus are the majority outnumbered.
In the CBC’s own poll on which leader would make the best Prime Minister, evil Stephen Harper had over a 60% approval rating.
Anonymous 10:34:
Wow!…I Mean, just WOW!.
Do you really believe that a majority goverment meant a majority of voters support them in our parliamentary system?
Ummm please, before you vote. Follow this election on any website, any newspaper, anything.Read a book, finish high-school..please learn both the merits and the faults of our electoral system.
Rep-by-pop and proportional representation are a bit different from each other, but we currently don’t reall have either.
bitowner 7:49 AM
“conservative opinion in this country remains a minority, last I checked”
Well, if conservative opinion is a “minority” then how do you explain Harper’s position in the polls?
Harper will be elected with a majority government with only minority support form the electorate?
Conservative – or should that be feudalist? – opinion in this country remains a minority, last I checked. Those who hold to such views remain outnumbered by everyone else, including more sensible conservative philosophies. Therefore, the CBC’s bias is very much in line with the Canadian population’s own current POV.
And last I checked, CBC Radio One was on Sirius 137.
I think it’s great that right-wing assholes are now accusing the CBC of trying to bring down the government. That’s going as well as CBC’s other large projects, isn’t it?
If only Trudeau were around to invoke the War Measures Act. Oh, wait.
Anyway, if that’s what’s happening, why isn’t the solution to change the government? It’d like pouring the gin down the drain in a drunk’s house. How’s that for a Plan B? Take it away, Anonymous.
By the way, your viewership numbers are a tad bogus in a 200-channel universe. (What number is CBC on Sirius satellite?)
rene simard 10:04 PM
“just because you don’t like the editorial content”
Well rene, a couple of points. In a democracy, and Canada can still be regarded as such, it is inconceivable that a tax funded public broadcaster, regulated and controlled by unelected bureaucrats, can arbitrarily impose their own agenda through the use of highly charged and biased editorial content in an effort to defeat a democratically elected government.
This is not an economics issue, although it can certainly be argued that since fewer than 2% of Canadians actually watch or listen to the CBC that $1.5 billion dollars is rather excessive – being close to $2.3 million per viewer.
Anon 7:41 p.m.
The CBC’s darkest days are just ahead.
Who told you that, buddy? Astral Media? The Slaight Brothers?
It’s the same bogus arguments, like the billion dollars, over and over.
A billion.
Sheesh, we’ve wasted at least that much on Afghanistan …
Yeah, a pennies on-the-dollar fire sale of a nationwide communications infrastructure is a fucking great economic idea, just because you don’t like the editorial content.
Actually, the CBC’s operating budget exceeds
$1.5 billion when advertising revenues are taken into account, yet the CBC still relies on the Canadian Television Fund to pay for its production (with the exception of news and children’s programming).
Please also consider that it was the liberals who cut the CBC’s budget to create the CTF back in the early ’90’s.
As for Dwight’s comments about the government of the day living up to it’s obligations to provide adequate funding, you must consider that the CBC’s far left bias, (whether perceived or otherwise) and it’s deliberate efforts to undermine conservative opinion, has created an untenable situation should Stephen Harper win a majority government as the polls would suggest.
The CBC’s darkest days are just ahead.
I would not applaud any such move. Nor privatisation, nor conversion into a propaganda organ serving the government of the day. Nor further budgetary starvation, for that matter. Live up to your Broadcasting Act obligations instead, please!
(And the previous comments about those other options should preclude a rewrite of the Broadcasting Act, as well.)
I would appauld any move to kill the CBC and create a national TVO, but only if Heather Mallik is deported and forced to find work in D.C.