Dear Editor,

This is with reference to the column “Why Does Pierre Poilievre want to Defund the CBC?” by Mr. Harinder Mahil, in the last issue of Desibuzzcanada. 

The answer lies in Pierre Poilievre’s statement, “…we call on this Liberal government to defund the CBC to save taxpayers’ dollars and ensure a free and competitive press in the Canadian media landscape…” Not only Mr. Poilievre, but a former Conservative Minister and also the Canadian Taxpayers Federation have made the same demands. According to the Federation’s website, “ Taxpayers should not be forced to fund the CBC and other media organizations. We should be able to choose which organization we want to support with our own money.” It is clear that there is no intention to “defunct” the CBC. It is to “defund.”  There is a need to talk about  ‘a free and competitive press’.

These demands do not undermine the importance of the Press, often called the fourth pillar of a democracy. The other three are independent Executive, Legislature, and the Judiciary. No political party could afford the annoyance  of the national press. In this case one can infer that the Conservative Party is giving more importance to the taxpayers’ money than to its paid-publicity. In a democracy every party tries to woo the press in its favor by doling money.  Canada is passing through a critical state of its economy and its fallouts. This is the time to save every dollar to divert it to the basic needs of health, housing and food. 

The Office of the Auditor General has pointed out to the government the misappropriation of funds on trivial matters in the recent past. The management of the CBC has also come under criticism in the matter of Bonuses to its highly paid executives and the other employees numbering around 1200. Dollar 18.4 million in bonuses were paid in 2023-24 fiscal year. The average bonus of $73,000 is more than the median family income after taxes in 2022. Ms. Catherine Tait, CEO of CBC’s salary ranges between 468,900 and 551,600 with the possibility of a bonus if certain criteria are met. The CBC’s 2024-25 budget is $1.38 billion. Its 70% is funded by government. In 2023, CBC/Radio-Canada generated $515.42 million in revenue, slightly down from 651.42 million in 2022. Respondents predominantly saw a bias towards CBC TV and radio coverage favouring the Liberal party. This is the view across Conservative, Liberal and NDP voters. 

 According to a recent survey, 41% Canadians said the CBC is important and should continue doing what it is doing.35% said they want a CBC, but with a lot of changes.24% said the CBC is no longer needed or useful.

It is obvious that the Opposition Leader has taken a measured middle path. Let us see what changes he brings to the CBC, once at the helm of affairs. 

Zile Singh

Burnaby, BC