CBC needs saving, now more than ever

National storyteller needed in times of crisis

Mark Critch’s hilarious impersonations of Donald Trump are just what Canada needs at this existential moment in our history.

One of them has had over 12 million views on social media.

Critch is one of the comedians on CBC’S This Hour Has 22 Minutes. His popularity underscores the value of having a national broadcaster telling stories by and for Canadians.

Pierre Poilievre’s perverse promise to destroy the CBC by slashing its budget and selling off its assets will undermine Canada’s national unity and our ability to access reliable news and facts at a time when both are under severe threat.

His relentless attacks fail to recognize the value of CBC programming and the unique role it plays in linking Canadians across the country, especially in times like this when we’re facing an aggressive U.S. president and a threat to our very existence.

Poilievre’s promise to cut the CBC is not popular among Canadians. Last fall, a survey by Mcgill’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy showed a majority of Canadians want the CBC and Radio-canada to thrive, including almost 50 per cent of those who identify themselves as Conservatives.

Only 11 per cent of Canadians support cutting all of CBC’S funding.

The CBC was formed in 1932 by a Conservative government to counter the growing influence of American radio. Sound familiar?

Today, Canada is under attack by a hostile American president and his sidekick, a billionaire who is promoting far-right ideology on his social media platform and undermining the U.S. government’s ability to function.

If Canadians have any hope of repelling the assaults from the U.S. and from polarizing social media platforms with skewed algorithms, we need to strengthen the CBC instead of destroying it as Poilievre has repeatedly promised to do.

As in 1932, it’s again time to rally to Canada’s defence and support a renewed CBC.

Poilievre doesn’t value the CBC’S role in nurturing Canadian musical, literary, filmmaking and comedy talent. In Quebec, Radio-canada has 23-25 per cent audience share and supports widely popular media personalities and Tv/film stars.

Poilievre says he won’t cut Radio-canada’s funding because he knows his party couldn’t win a seat in Quebec if he did. But his proposed $1-billion cut from a total $1.4-billion federal contribution to CBC/ Radio-canada would eliminate English CBC and cripple Radio-canada.

CBC Radio has close to a 15 per cent audience share nationally and is the most popular radio station in many cities, including Halifax, where CBC’S audience share is about 20 per cent. Individual program support is likely much higher, and podcasts and streaming reach more people.

About 80 per cent of Canadians use Cbc/radio-canada at least once per month. In some parts of Canada, there is no alternative to CBC Radio and TV.

Nova Scotians have laughed together for years at CBC comedy shows, including This Hour Has 22 Minutes and The Debaters.

We’ve also shared the joy and pride of countless musicians’ performances from people like Rita Macneil and Joel Plaskett. We’ve helped each other out during local disasters like severe storms and the wildfires and floods of 2023. For those of us living through these events, the Mcgill survey shows that CBC is one of the most trusted sources of reliable information.

There is a wide range of cherished, enlightening and entertaining shows on CBC Radio and TV. My mother was an avid, lifelong CBC listener. This was especially important in her last 20 years living on her own.

One of the best elements of the CBC is its ability to tell local stories to local audiences and share those stories from coast to coast to coast. Such storytelling builds a more united country, which we now need more than ever.

Traditional news sources have dramatically dwindled in recent years, especially at the local level, as newspapers and local TV stations have closed. Less reliable social media has polarized us with mis- and disinformation.

In the Mcgill survey, “When asked about the importance of public service media given the rise of social media, 79 per cent of respondents said it was either equally or more important than before.” As our sources of reliable information are dwindling, do we really want to destroy our national broadcaster?

We are feeling the threat to Canada’s sovereignty and responding with solidarity. Destroying the CBC will undermine Canada’s independence as a nation and our sense of community. We need to strengthen institutions that build the country like the CBC, instead of tearing them down.

I urge Nova Scotians and all Canadians to let politicians of all parties know that the CBC helps us share a sense of national pride and mutual commitment. We want it strengthened.