“The federal budget means status quo for the CBC, which means more of the same uncertainty”, says Lise Lareau, president of the Canadian Media Guild, reacting to news of the budget’s one-year allocation of $60 million to the Corporation. “The government had a chance to put that money in the fixed appropriation for the CBC, and it did not, so the Corporation remains in the awkward situation of living year to year without knowing what its true budget is.”

What’s also missing from the budget documents is any news about money to expand regional programming. Earlier this month, the CBC announced it was seeking an extra $80 million dollars by the third year of a plan to increase local and regional programming across the country.

“We’re awaiting news from the Heritage department about the status of that request,” says Lareau. “Our union has always fought for more regional programming, and we hope it is taken seriously.”

The Canadian Media Guild represents about 6,000 employees at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Press/Broadcast News, TVOntario, VisionTV, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and Reuters.

For more information, please contact Lise Lareau, president, Canadian Media Guild, 416-591-5333 or 416-524-5473