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Is Canada Ready for Life Without the CBC? Pierre Poilievre Thinks So | The Walrus (thewalrus.ca)
submitted 2 weeks ago by HellsBelle to c/[email protected]
36 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

“END THE MADNESS. Recall the committee. Defund the CBC.” Credit where it’s due to Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives for writing for radio, as I was taught at a CBC skills course many years ago: short and sharp, three beats, implied subject-verb-object.

The Tories are mad for this gimmick: axe the tax, build the homes, bring it home, fix the budget, stop the crime. It’s addictive and direct and Trumpy, apt to “win the vote” for them, and thus presenting, among other things, a direct existential threat to the CBC. It’s a threat that, starting this month, Catherine Tait, the outgoing president, CEO, and poster-person for bloated bureaucracy, gets to pass on to her successor, Marie-Philippe Bouchard, who hasn’t ticked off anyone significant—yet.

top 36 comments
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[–] [email protected] 60 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Jesus christ, I wish Pollievre would put down the fucking fascist playbook. Canada and the CBC are highly rated and respected for journalistic integrity in across respectable sources. And that's the problem: fair and factual reporting threatens the lies constantly put forth by the CPC. But don't worry, once he defunds the CBC, you'll have no choice but to tune in to privately funded news sources, where "truth" is dictated by wealth before facts!

The fact that he's been permitted to get away with lying constantly about the role of the CBC is a perhaps the biggest fucking insult I've had the displeasure of watching Canadians suffer.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Conservatives have been trumping up defunding the CBC at least as far back as Harper. It's not exceptional that PP is doing the same. We need to push back hard if he gets a majority government against them following through with it. It's what we had to do when Harper got a majority.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's an old Reform Party plank. Probably predates them, too. But it goes back at least to ol' Preston Manning.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

Removing the independent watchers is half their playbook -- in addition to reducing tax for the rich, it's all about removing guardrails on food safety, work safety, and now the guardrails on politics.

[–] mindbleach 6 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

'I wish this fascist was less fascist' is a bizarre perspective.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Seems like liberal head-in-sand shit to me. People really need to get over the fact that Pierre is trying to do it here and worse, that he's been pretty successful so far. If people don't face that we don't have a chance.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

May not be a very useful one, but it hardly seems bizarre. Of course I wish that fascists were less fascist! Then there would be less fascism, and I don't like fascism and want there to be less of it! Wishing doesn't do anything on its own, but it's not a strange wish to have.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 weeks ago

Of course, PP wants to defund any media his backers can't control.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 weeks ago

Defund PP! We're ready for it

[–] 9488fcea02a9 29 points 2 weeks ago

I'm ready for life without PP's WACKO ideas....

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I'm very tired of right wingers being able to unilaterally enact radical change by destroying things.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

I'm just fucking sick of right wingers in general, honestly.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 weeks ago

SOMEONE has been paying to blast every CBC YouTube video with a million bots for the last decade. Whadayawanna bet PP collects from the same people.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Can you imagine if they actually shut down CBC radio? Never mind how many people the the polls say are "opposed" to the idea. The real question is how many old people with a radio, who still tune in every day, even those who never think much about politics, would be instantly radicalized. We do not show up in measures of "digital reach." Try it and the revolution could start sooner than you expect. It's hard to believe that even Poilievre could be that politically suicidal.

[–] HellsBelle 28 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Don't forget about all those who live in remote regions (NWT, Nunavut, and provincial northern areas) whose only source of radio comes from CBC.

PP can go fuck himself.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Basically all of Ontario north of Barrie and west of Ottawa would lose a significant spectrum of radio broadcast.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

And it's great radio. I was up bear hunting in the spring in Kapuskasing a few years ago and the coverage for their local municiple elections was comprehensive and engaging in a way I had never felt living in Toronto. By the end of that short trip I was disappointed I wouldn't be casting my ballot there lol.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

One way it could happen is the CPC limits CBC resources every year, forcing it to gradually degrade, & increasingly rely on advertisers. Then when the plug is finally pulled, it won't seem so bad, because it's so degraded anyway. A lot of damage could be done in the span of a few years.

I don't want this to happen, but I think it's what might happen.

Also, consider from the article:

The McGill study says only 40 percent of rural Canadians are satisfied with their local coverage

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

One way it could happen is the CPC limits CBC resources every year, forcing it to gradually degrade, & increasingly rely on advertisers. Then when the plug is finally pulled, it won't seem so bad, because it's so degraded anyway.

AKA starve the beast

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I’m not even old and I listen to CBC radio daily.

It’s legitimately the best source of news around.

It doesn’t drone on like a 24 hour news cycle, the updates are time boxed so you get the most important facts first, and there are local stations across the country.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Everyday. Same. And it's one of the few news sources left I trust not to scrape-n-paste their journalism.

Also CBC2 has Drive, Martin's Room and After Dark. I've found so much good Canadian music I likely never would've heard anywhere else on the dial. Delete CBC and what little cancon we have left is toast.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

I'm ready for life without Pierre Polierve.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

Polviere sees trump and thinks "I could do that too". Step one: get rid of independent journalism, can't have facts leak out to the public, now can we?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The CBC has done very well for Canada but has been woefully mismanaged. It needs a thorough middle and senior level housecleaning but that’s it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

And some funding holy shit. Back when Harper was ruining it all I could think was "he's starving her and then is gonna pull out the shot gun and frown... Poor old girl needs to be put down, she's so sick." I can't believe it's still doing as well as it is after all that...

Every penny we spend at the CBC creates jobs for both creatives and technicians, and creates Canadian content that we can all enjoy and show the world. Also news, actual, reasonably down the middle, factual news.

Every penny of my taxes that goes to the CBC is well spent.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

It's called "starve the beast" and that's exactly their goal.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

claiming that CBC executives and managers are paid about half what they would be for the same private sector positions.

If that's true why don't they take private sector jobs?