Our purpose
Canada enjoys a distinct cultural and democratic identity that brings us together and sets us apart. Generation after generation, vigilant citizens have fought against powerful interests to carve out space for Canada in the broadcasting system, to protect our culture and identity.
FRIENDS works to advance Canada’s rich culture and the healthy democracy it sustains. A strong CBC, fearless journalism, and our shared story make us who we are. We conduct leading-edge policy and opinion research on issues affecting Canadian media and related issues. This research demonstrates that millions of citizens care deeply about the future of Canadian media, journalism, and programming. This is why we work tirelessly on behalf of all Canadians to make sure that public policy reflects the will of citizens.
Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden becomes the first person to transmit speech by radio, when he beamed his own voice a distance of 1.6 km. Soon after, he performed the first two-way transatlantic radio communcation. He would later invent sonar.
The inventor of radio, Guglielmo Marconi received the first ever transatlantic radio signal on Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland, using a 500 foot kite as an antenna. In 1903, Marconi would found his Wireless Telegraph Company in Montreal.
XWA Montreal becomes Canada's first official radio station broadcasting music to a general audience. In 1920, XWA broadcast an entertainment program to a live audience located 175 km away, at the Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa.
Canadian National Railway sets out to build Canada's first national radio network. The original purpose of the network was to entertain passengers on cross-country trains, but the signal could also be received by Canadians living close to CNR transmitters.
Prime Minister Mackenzie King launches the Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting, led by prominent banker, John Aird. A strong proponent of free enterprise, Aird surprised many in 1930 when his commission recommended a fully public broadcasting system for Canada.
Graham Spry (pictured) and Allan Plaunt launch the Canadian Radio League to rally political support for public broadcasting in Canada. The two were smart, tireless, and extremely well-connected. FRIENDS is proud to follow in the CRL's footsteps as a defender of Canada's cultural sovereignty.
Following years of heated debate, Conservative Prime Minister R.B. Bennett creates Canada's first public broadcaster, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission. Bennett shocks fellow Conservatives by nationalizing most private radio transmitters to create an effective monopoly for CRBC.
Canadians deserve a well-financed, fully independent CBC that informs, enlightens, and entertains all Canadians. It's time to restore CBC's public-interest ethos.
Canada must end special treatment for foreign internet broadcasters like Netflix. They must contribute their fair share to the production of Canadian news and stories.
Left to their own devices, American tech monopolies pose an existential threat to Canada. It's time for us to assert democratic sovereignty over ethically-compromised corporations like Google, Facebook, and Netflix, before they colonize our information, communication, and entertainment media completely. Canadian culture, democracy, and sovereignty hang in the balance.
- Public broadcasting is sacred. CBC leads us forward, brings us together, and makes us stronger.
- Fearless journalism preserves our democracy. That's a core tenet of Canadian culture.
- Culture is not a commodity. It is an essential public good that brings Canadians together and fortifies our democracy.
- The story never stops. Canadians are open-minded people who embrace difference. The audiovisual environment needs to reflect and contribute to the ongoing evolution of a unique and distinct Canadian identity that brings us together in a shared sense of belonging.
- Show it all. We are a bilingual, multicultural, decentralized federation with roots in Indigenous cultures and knowledge, open to the world. Our past is at once beautiful and disgraceful. Our future is what we make it. Canadians deserve to engage with content that reflects our evolving character – that challenges us to build a better country.
To engage with our culture is to engage with our fellow Canadians. That peaceful, civil engagement is what keeps our democracy alive.
