I am in complete agreement with those who have written protesting the Harper government’s vicious cuts to the CBC.
In my opinion, the CBC is our best chance of maintaining a distinctive Canadian culture. But unfortunately, it has been underfunded for years.
Some say that private broadcasters can replace the CBC, but this is a misconception as private networks must put commercial considerations first.
Canada is near the bottom of the list of OECD nations in support of their public broadcasters. The first Canadian public broadcast system was introduced in 1932 by a Conservative government and this system became the CBC.
In my observation, Harper and his followers have used the CBC as a whipping boy, undermining it in every possible way. They have accused the CBC of bias against the government as part of a so-called culture war.
These tactics have also been used in order to raise money for their party. Possibly, these toxic rants may appeal to Harper’s base with its strong U.S. right- wing, Republican beliefs, which in my view are entirely foreign to Canadian values.
I very much resent what I see as bullying tea party style attacks that make it plain that this government is still determined to privatize or actually kill off our CBC. Shame on them.
I have been watching the CBC for many years, primarily in the areas of news, politics, and documentaries, and in my experience, our public network has always been fair and unbiased. The only culture war I have noticed is the war Stephen Harper seems to be waging against the traditional Canadian culture of political moderation, which all the parties used to share. As one component of this battle, Harper has weakened and in some cases wholly destroyed, important and successful institutions, systems, and programs that were legislated by earlier moderate governments.
I was once a member of the Conservative Party when it was still essentially Canadian, and I have been appalled by the actions of the Harper Conservatives since they came to power. Stephen Harper’s hidden agenda isn’t hidden anymore. Judging by their policies and by their ideology (which is totally alien to Canadian conservative history and tradition), Harper and his colleagues appear to me to be governing as if they are really U.S. right-wing, Republicans who are simply masquerading as Canadians.
Obviously, Harper and his masqueraders are still laying waste to our political landscapes, particularly attacking elements that were instrumental in building Canada. The CBC is only one of a long line.
In my estimation the Harper government’s scorched Earth policy has already seriously damaged this country and the ongoing negative consequences cannot help but compromise our future.
Sharon Ramsdale
Vernon
