The Case for Public Broadcasting | FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting

Issue Breakdown

Citizens Deserve To Know

For democracy to function properly, citizens must be well-informed. And for a country to retain its identity, people need to engage with each other and their culture to develop a "we feeling" of their own. That's what public service broadcasting does for our society.

Societies with strong public broadcasters tend to be better places to live. That's because people who get their news from public sources are:

More likely to vote;
Better-informed;
And less hostile towards immigrants and minorities.

Societies with strong public broadcasters are also more egalitarian, and research has demonstrated that more egalitarian societies have lower crime rates, higher life expectancies, and better educational outcomes, among many other benefits.

Public broadcasters support the health of democracy. They are key institutions helping societies be well-informed, politically engaged and socially cohesive.

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Sue Gardner

Executive Director, The Markup

History of Public Broadcasting

Excellent Since 1932

1929

1930

1932

1936

1941

1952

1958

1966

1989

The Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting declares that "Canadians want Canadian radio",and recommends that a national public broadcaster be created to deliver it. The Commission added that "in a country of the vast geographical dimensions of Canada, broadcasting will undoubtedly become a great force in fostering a national spirit."

Graham Spy and Allan Plaunt launch the Canadian Radio League, predecessor to FRIENDS.

Conservative Prime Minister, R.B. Bennett passes the Radio Broadcasting Act which creates the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, predecessor to the modern CBC. Bennett intends CRBC to be "an agency by which national consciousness may be fostered and sustained and national unity still further strengthened."

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is formed, replacing CRBC.

CBC launches its News Service with bureaus in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Windsor, and Vancouver. Previously, CBC got its news from the Canadian Press.

CBC launches its first TV service.

CBC completes its national network linking Halifax to Victoria – the largest TV network in the world at the time. CBC also begins its Northern Radio Service.

CBC begins regular transmission of colour TV.

CBC launches Newsworld

Talking Points

CBC Q & A

Government should not control the news

True.

There's a big difference between state broadcaters (eg. the kind you find in North Korea) and public service broadcasters (eg. CBC). The former are propaganda machines that help governments control citizens. The latter are public institutions that help citizens hold government to account.

True public servie broadcasters like CBC are legally-mandated to be on the side of the people. They are fully independent of government, protecting them against political interference in the newsroom.

Our Reform the Board campaign seeks to enhance the independence of CBC's governing body.

CBC Costs Too Much

False.

At $34 per person per year, CBC is among the most poorly-funded public broadcasters in the developed world. By comparison, the BBC costs about $100 per person per year, and Norway’s NRK costs $162 per person per year.

FRIENDS is working to boost CBC funding to $50 per person per year. Check out our #CBCFightFor50 campaign to learn more.

The Market Gives Us What We Want

False.

Free markets are extremely effective in many contexts, but they have major blind spots. In a few critically important domains, the profit incentive does not align with society's will. Take healthcare for example. Private health systems shut out the poor. That doesn't mean poor people want to die. It just means they can't afford what the doctor is asking. In just societies – places like Canada – the prevailing view is that everyone has a fundamental right to quality medical care. That's how we got a public system which provides the universal access Canadians want in a way that private healthcare never could.

Public broadcasting is a public institution that helps society compensate for the market's inherent weaknesses, just like public healthcare and public education do. Private broadcasters have an incentive to spend as little as they can on Canadian programs, since it is more profitable to re-transmit popular shows from the US. Private broadcasters serve advertisers, and when these powerful companies become the subject of political debate, private broadcasters face a conflict between reporting the news and serving their clients.

Canadians want and deserve Canadian programming that helps our society develop. We also deserve fully independent news that puts citizens first, not shareholders or advertisers. And that's exactly what public broadcasting does.

Key People

Catherine Tait

New CBC President and CEO

Catherine Tait is the former President of Duopoly, a digital, television and film content production company. She took office as new CBC President in July 2018.

Steven Guilbeault

Minister of Canadian Heritage

Steven Guilbeault succeeded Pablo Rodriguez as Minister of Canadian Heritage in 2019. Minister Guilbeault's mandate includes the CBC and other critical cultural institutions.

In this article →

Government should not control the news

CBC Costs Too Much

The Market Gives Us What We Want

Strengthen the CBC! #CBCFightFor50

Current Campaign

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