Heritage minister pitches CBC/Radio-Canada overhaul and a major funding hike

Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge made a bold announcement on Thursday, unveiling a plan to overhaul CBC/Radio-Canada in order to strengthen an institution that she believes is at a critical crossroads. St-Onge emphasized the necessity of this overhaul as Canada faces threats to its sovereignty from American tech oligarchs who are increasingly controlling the flow of information in the country.

St-Onge highlighted the importance of reviving the nearly century-old public broadcaster to “tell our own stories” and combat the dominance of foreign media sources in Canada. She stressed that CBC will always belong to the people of Canada and will never be controlled by billionaire tech oligarchs like Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg.

The proposed plan aims to improve the quality of CBC/Radio-Canada programming in both English and French, increase the availability of trustworthy and impartial news, and make the broadcaster a more reliable source of information during emergencies. To achieve these goals, St-Onge is advocating for a significant funding increase that could nearly double the corporation’s yearly appropriation.

Currently, per capita funding for CBC/Radio-Canada stands at around $33.66, the second lowest in the developed world. St-Onge argued that this level of funding is insufficient and proposed that it should be closer to the $62.20 per capita funding average of other G7 countries. She emphasized the need for stable and predictable funding for the public broadcaster to ensure its long-term sustainability.

In addition to a funding increase, St-Onge suggested taking the public broadcaster’s funding out of the normal budgetary process and embedding the funding formula in a separate act of Parliament. This would provide CBC/Radio-Canada with more stability and reduce the risk of political interference in its operations.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has expressed a different view on CBC funding, advocating for cuts to wasteful spending and questioning the need for English-language content on the broadcaster. However, St-Onge remains committed to building up the CBC and supporting candidates who have a strong plan to enhance the corporation.

CBC/Radio-Canada received approximately $1.4 billion in funding from the government last year. If future funding were to increase to the G7 average as proposed by St-Onge, the corporation’s funding could rise to around $2.5 billion annually. In exchange for this increased funding, St-Onge aims to make more of CBC/Radio-Canada’s content ad-free and fee-free to benefit Canadians.

St-Onge also proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Act to require CBC to conduct more public consultations on its priorities and strategies. This would ensure that the broadcaster is more responsive to the needs and preferences of Canadians. Additionally, she suggested governance reforms to enhance the independence of the CBC’s leadership and insulate it from political influence.

Overall, St-Onge’s plan for CBC/Radio-Canada represents a significant effort to strengthen the public broadcaster and ensure its relevance and impact in the face of evolving media landscapes and threats to Canadian sovereignty. By increasing funding, enhancing content quality, and promoting transparency and accountability, St-Onge aims to secure CBC/Radio-Canada’s position as a vital national institution for generations to come.