At CBC, journalistic independence at stake

At CBC, journalistic independence at stake

By Rathika Sitsabaiesan

By Rathika Sitsabaiesan

Over the last few weeks, my office has been inundated with emails from concerned constituents regarding the proposed changes to the government’s ability to dictate employment terms for all employees at the CBC. These changes, brought forth in the latest Conservative Omnibus Budget Bill, threaten the independence of the CBC and its journalists. It is the latest in a string of attacks by the Conservatives against the CBC.

The CBC is a crown corporation and a public broadcaster; it is not a government department and not a state broadcaster. In addition to being an arms-length corporation, the CBC is unique in that its employees report on the activities of the government and politics. Any interference in this process can put journalistic integrity at stake.

Journalists may feel pressured to avoid criticising the government for fear of retribution through the government’s ability to dictate employment terms.

In the case that contract negotiations are on-going with the government and the union, it is possible that a story or article critical of the government be delayed in publication or production to avoid causing increased animosity during the bargaining process.

With cuts of $115 million to the CBC, and now attempts to increase political influence over the CBC, it is becoming clear that this is an ideological attack by the Conservatives. The CBC is a culturally important institution that has served the Canadian public well for decades and should not be the target of relentless Conservative campaigns. It should be supported with an appropriate amount of funding and maintain its independence.

Further proof of the Conservative campaign against the CBC includes the recently debated Bill C-461. Bill C-461 would put CBC/Radio-Canada under the Access to Information system and could force journalists to reveal confidential sources. Journalists need to be able to guarantee confidentiality and anonymity in order to provide exclusive content and high quality investigative journalism. These changes are unnecessary, especially considering that CBC/Radio-Canada is already subject to the Access to Information Act and a myriad of information, including employee pay scales, is already available.

These attacks are unlikely to stop. It is imperative that we protect our public broadcaster from this campaign to limit its ability to continue to produce high quality journalism and keep Canadians informed. Conservatives have gone far beyond cutting the CBC’s budget by meddling into its affairs, threatening journalistic independence, and putting confidential sources at risk.

I urge you to write to your MP, as many have done to me, and ask them to stand against the threats to the independence of the CBC and vote against Bills C-60 and C-461. It is not just a matter of providing the CBC with proper funding, it is a matter of maintaining press freedom and allowing CBC journalists to do their jobs freely, without concern that their sources will be revealed or that their investigative work could affect contract negotiations.

This May 5th we celebrated twenty (20) years since the international declaration of ‘World Press Freedom Day’ by the United Nations it is imperative that in a democratic country like ours, that we maintain press freedom and independence as it is an important part of a true and free democratic country. For this reason the CBC must remain an independent, arms-length crown corporation, free from political interference, as it has been for nearly 80 years. I intend to listen to my constituents and stand up for the CBC in parliament. I hope you will join me by contacting your Member of Parliament and urging them to do the same.