The CBC is an essential part of Canada’s democracy.
All other media in Canada is privately owned and controlled. Privately owned is in itself not necessarily bad, however most owners of media use it to advance their political point of view.
A public broadcaster is not beholden to a particular point of view. I support keeping the CBC viable and free of political interference.
I support the use of tax money to keep the CBC in the field to collect news from around the world and across Canada. I support the use of tax money to allow the CBC to report on Canada’s governments at all levels, municipal, provincial, territorial and federal. I support the use of tax money to enable CBC’s reports to investigate policies such as the current one being investigated, temporary foreign workers.
Many times, it is the media that exposes unintended consequences of laws, regulations and policies.
Private media will investigate when it is to their advantage or when they can embarrass their competitors. Private media will be silent when laws, regulations or policies favour themselves, even if it is morally wrong. As we have found out, through public media, unscrupulous employers have used the temporary foreign worker program to bring about a modern form of indentured workers.
Private media has been silent on this issue because they have much to gain by keeping the temporary foreign worker program as is with all its flaws.
I support keeping the CBC active and funded to enable it to be Canada’s democratic watchdog on all levels of government, even if it means embarrassing our current political powers.
Steve Cooley
Campbell River
