Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly recently launched a comprehensive review of Canada’s media and cultural sectors. In her words:  “ everything is on the table”.  With the limited information the minister is providing, this  seems to mean  reviewing the mandate of all national cultural institutions including the CBC, and the legislative and regulatory mechanisms that govern them such as the Broadcasting Act, and the CRTC.

This proposed review is to be comprised of two parts,  the first, an online survey,  “Strengthening Canadian content creation, discovery and export in a digital world”. None of this was included  in the Liberal platform during the recent federal election,  nor in the Heritage minister’s mandate letter,  so in essence we are placing our trust in the minister’s avowal of support for the public broadcaster, and its long-term healthy future.
CMG will be monitoring this process and sharing more details as they become available, and will be involved in the process as much as we are able. These are some of our priorities, we urge you to share them.

-the ability of Canadians to tell their own stories on all platforms
-access to high-quality local news and information in both official languages and Indigenous languages
-an independent national public broadcaster on all platforms, and other public service media
-quality broadcasting service regardless of geography
-quality journalism and its key role in a democracy
-stable jobs in media and creative/cultural industries
-the economic impact and value in Canada of a vibrant, creative, cultural, media, production sector
-issues related to media concentration

As citizens in a democracy, and employees of the public broadcaster you have a  unique perspective. This is invaluable. That’s is  why we are encouraging you to take a few minutes to fill out Minister Joly’s survey to share your ideas. Click here for the survey:  http://pch.sondages-surveys.ca/s/dwc/?l=en (deadline May 20)

We know how busy you are, and this is 15 minutes you don’t have, but your job and the future of the CBC as a fully functional, multi-platform, quality  public broadcasting service functioning as we know it may depend on your responses.

CBC is a cultural treasure, let’s tell the minister why.

Carmel

Carmel Smyth,
National President, Canadian Media Guild