Every Canadian needs access to information, language shouldn’t be a barrier

Every Canadian needs access to information, language shouldn’t be a barrier

By Slava Levin
CEO Ethnic Channels Group

There is nothing else like television. Nothing else connects us to each other as easily. Nothing else allows us to experience our world in such a deep and emotional way. And for people who have emigrated to Canada from somewhere else, nothing keeps us connected to one another quite so well.

I know this because I have seen it in my own life — and in how much my grandmother loves seeing broadcasts from Russia, the country she emigrated from. And I believe in it because of the work my company, Ethnic Channels Group (ECG), does in delivering television programming from around the world to viewers in Canada, the US and other countries.

For new Canadians, having access to programming from their home country, in their native language, actually makes them better Canadians. Ethnic programming helps people lead richer lives and become more engaged in their community. But there is one part of broadcasting in Canada where — as a country — we are failing to meet the needs of ethnic audiences. And that is news and information.
According to the 2016 census, there are 7.3 million people in Canada whose first language (in other words, the language they speak at home) is neither English nor French. That’s a population the size of the province of Quebec. But today in Canada, our 24/7 news channels only broadcast in English and French. That’s contributing to a crisis.

We’re in the middle of a global pandemic. It’s the most serious public health crisis in a century, and the virus causing it, COVID-19, may be around for years to come. We successfully flattened the curve after a complete economic shutdown, but today we’re seeing an alarming uptick in cases in a number of provinces. The situation is changing every day, and so is the guidance we’re receiving from government and public health officials. The message is complex, and a lot of Canadians are not getting it – at least not in the language they best understand.

That puts ethnic Canadians at risk, and it makes it harder for all of us to work together as a community to persevere through the crisis. It’s also worth noting that the crisis is twofold – the pandemic as also caused an economic crisis, one that’s hit small and medium-sized businesses especially hard. Many ethnic Canadians own businesses, and they need access to information on how the government is responding in their own language.

One solution we need to consider is creating a dedicated news and information channel like the ones we have in English and French, but in multiple languages. That technology exists — all that’s needed is the will to make it happen.

The importance of a multi-language news and information channel extends far beyond the immediate crisis caused by the pandemic. Canadians whose first language is Tagalog or Mandarin are as important to our country’s success and prosperity as speakers of any other language. Again, I know that from personal experience. ECG is a company founded by immigrants for immigrants, and today is home to employees originally from countries like the Ukraine, India, Russia, the Philippines, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Guatemala and Brazil.

Serving the multi-ethnic is in our company’s DNA. It’s why I founded ECG in 2004, and it’s why we’ve grown to become the largest provider of ethnic television in the world. We know that television is a powerful medium for engaging people. Personally, I find it surprising – maybe even shocking – that a dedicated multi-language news and information channel doesn’t already exist in Canada, given the market and the need, and the fact that Canada is defined by our cultural diversity. Today, more than ever, it’s a shortfall that our industry, our regulators and the federal government need to fix.

(PRESS RELEASE)