Trudeau Liberals propose near doubling of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation funding
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Liberal Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge has proposed nearly doubling the CBC’s per citizen funding in addition to installing government funding of the outlet as a permanent part of the Canadian budget.
(LifeSiteNews) — Liberals are suggesting nearly doubling the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s per citizen federal funding, alleging the outlet is essential amid election uncertainty and U.S. “disinformation.”
During a February 20 press conference, Liberal Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge proposed nearly doubling the CBC’s per citizen funding in addition to installing government funding of the outlet as a permanent part of the Canadian budget.
The proposed payouts would increase payments to the CBC from $33 to $62 per person, meaning that each Canadian would be paying $62 to fund the CBC regardless of if they read or watch the outlet’s content.
“The CBC is a pillar of our democracy, and we need a strong public broadcaster to ensure Canadians have access to reliable news and Canadian stories,” St-Onge argued.
“And I don’t think the United States should be our reference in terms of how you should support a public broadcaster,” she continued, warning that defunding the national “treasure” would be to the benefit of American social media “billionaires.”
Notably, the proposed funding increase is being pushed just months before Canadians hope to be on their way to the polls to elect a new prime minister, leading some to speculate that it is an attempt to encourage the CBC to report favorably on the Liberal Party.
The increased government subsidies also come after an October report found that the CBC’s advertising revenue dropped nearly 10 percent last year.
Furthermore, the CBC’s own quarterly report found that its network audience share is only 1.7% of the population.