EDITORIAL – Mr. Poilievre, put a sock in it and stop picking on the CBC

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

NOT EVERONE IS A FAN of the CBC.

Some don’t like long-hair or Celtic music. Some think it’s too politically correct, airs too many boring documentaries and that it talks endlessly about sourdough bread recipes.
And some would like to see the CBC shut down or, at the least, end its public subsidies.

One of those is Pierre Poilievre, the ever acerbic leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Poilievre is, no doubt, pretty pleased with himself these days for his little Twitter victory. He’s succeeded in convincing the social media platform to label the CBC a government-funded media outlet.

Elon Musk’s Twitter defines “government-funded” as “outlets where the government provides some or all of the outlet’s funding and may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content.”

In response to the erroneous application of the label, CBC has stopped posting on Twitter and says it will do so until the label is removed.

Poilievre seems convinced that the CBC is biased against him and his party, calling it “Trudeau propaganda,” yet the corporation is guaranteed editorial independence under the Broadcasting Act.

Interestingly, on the same day that CBC announced its decision on Twitter, it posted a story about another of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s controversial vacations. It was anything but favourable to the prime minister.

The CBC — in both its radio and TV versions — is an essential vehicle for the promotion and protection of Canadian culture. It’s part of who we are, as much as maple syrup, Nanaimo bars and polar bears.

It goes where commercial media wouldn’t bother — to the most remote parts of the country. Whether it be downtown Kamloops or Tuktoyaktuk, the CBC defines us and brings us together.

And it’s not just about sourdough bread recipes and David Suzuki expounding on climate change. The CBC, in so many ways, challenges and inspires.

So, Mr. Poilievre, put a sock in it and leave the CBC alone.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.