CMG is encouraging Canadians to ask their MPs to commit to making our national broadcaster strong again. Please cut and paste the letter below into an email, add or change anything that speaks to your own experience, then sign and send it to your MP.  Encourage your family and friends to do the same. To find your MP and his or her contact  information, click here.

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Dear MP (NAME),

I am writing to ask your support, as my MP, in making the CBC strong again. CBC is huge part of Canada to me. I can’t imagine this country without it. I value the news and analysis, I enjoy the stories and entertainment – talk radio, TV shows, music – most of which I can’t find anywhere else.

A stable Canadian public broadcaster allows us to hear, see and listen to each other across this vast land. And as our country grows and changes, CBC has demonstrated that it’s also there to accompany us – reflecting the shifts, celebrating the feats, and shining a light on the challenges as we work our way through them.

I also know that a vibrant public broadcaster is a vital part of a healthy media industry in our country.

Here’s what I am asking you, as my elected representative to do:

*Support the presence of CBC/ Radio-Canada in communities across the country and tell CBC to reverse the recent shrinking of news, radio and music services in various regions.

*Commit to funding CBC properly! It can only do the things we count on it for if it has the resources to do them. After the recent cuts, CBC receives $29 per Canadian per year in public funding. The average in the industrialized countries is $87 per citizen. You can start by increasing public funding to $43.50 per year per Canadian – half of the world average – over the next five years.

*Ask the CBC to go ahead with local expansion, including its previously planned new radio station in London, Ontario. A city of 360,000 should have its own local CBC.

*Commit to protecting the independence of CBC, making sure it can operate at arm’s length from the government of the day. The President and members of the Board of Directors should be selected by an open and public process, and not named out of the Prime Minister’s Office.

I believe these commitments and the modest investment in our national public broadcaster represent a sensible approach and smart value.

Sincerely,
NAME
ADDRESS

Click here to find your MP (enter your postal code), then sign and send the letter.
Encourage your family and friends to do the same.