
FRIENDS is where Canadians come to learn about and share their support for Canadian journalism and storytelling.
In 1984, the new Mulroney Government slashed $100 million from the CBC’s budget, a move that would cost the CBC many cherished programs and employees. By the end of that year, CBC had to fire some 1,150 people just to stay afloat.
CBC is the one thread that ties Canadians together and helps us define who we are. Mulroney’s cuts were unacceptable, un-Canadian even. They had to be resisted.
In February 1985, Ian Morrison convened a group of concerned citizens and prominent Canadians to fight back. They took out a two-page ad in the national edition of The Globe and Mail, containing an open letter to Prime Minister Mulroney, signed by 1,200 people, each of whom had donated $20 to cover the cost of the ad. It helped that The Globe's publisher gave us a deal. The two-page ad was unprecedented, and it caused quite a stir. But most importantly, it gave rise to an enduring national movement standing in defence of Canadian public broadcasting.

FRIENDS' first act was a two-page ad in The Globe and Mail back in 1985.
Ever since that 1985 open letter, our movement has grown exponentially. Under Ian’s leadership, FRIENDS grew from those initial 1,200 supporters in 1985 to over 300,000 today. With this steady base of support, FRIENDS delivers cutting-edge public policy research, maintains an active presence in Ottawa, and works with supporters across the country to engage them in the effort to support for Canadian journalism and storytelling. We are honoured to amplify the voices of the majority of Canadians who believe that Canadian stories are worth protecting, and who understand that the public broadcaster is key vehicle for telling these stories.
Following more than three decades of hard work, the CBC is in a better position today than it has been for some time. We’re taking advantage of this period of relative calm to demonstrate the need for a fully independent CBC board of directors, as is the international standard. And if the government of today or tomorrow takes aim at the pillars of our culture or democracy, we’ll be ready to demonstrate just how much Canadians value these seminal institutions.
Many forget that we’re FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting, not just FRIENDS of CBC. It’s our job to advance the public's understanding of why all Canadian journalism and storytelling is important, and given that much of it is currently under threat, to help the public mobilize a citizens' defence. Count on us to stay on the case.

Daniel Bernhard and Ian Morrison
Our mission to protect and advance Canadian culture and democracy is timeless. But the audio-visual environment is ever changing, and so are we. Standing up for Canada used to mean standing up to Hollywood and other commercial interests, whose priority is to make a buck, often at the expense of Canada’s cultural and economic interests.
Hollywood hasn’t gone away, but nowadays, standing up for Canada means taking on Silicon Valley too. The Canadian government has given tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Netflix a free ride for years, at Canada’s expense. Streaming giants like Netflix must be required to collect sales taxes and contribute their fair share to the creation of Canadian content. And we must ensure that Canadian journalism survives as advertising revenues shift to companies such as Facebook, that don’t pay content creators, don’t employ journalists, and don’t take responsibility for the mass of hate speech and fake news that they publish. FRIENDS is leading the fight to bring these tech monopolists under democratic control.
Canada needs a well-funded, independent CBC to fight fake news and tell compelling Canadian stories. Our culture and democracy depend on it.
