CBC pushes Liberal talking points while taking Liberal money

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CBC is expanding once again, but that’s not shocking given the amount of government money, or government-directed money that they get.

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While every other media outlet struggles and tries to find ways to keep the lights on, CBC is handed money by a government that sees them as vital to the national – read party – interests.

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Can we really claim that CBC is anything but the Liberal Party state broadcaster at this point?

On Wednesday, CBC announced they were adding more than two dozen journalists and opening new bureaus.

“This year, CBC News will add 33 local journalists and create 11 new bureaus, increasing its Canadian footprint from 66 to 77 locations. This ‘boots-on-the-ground’ investment is in addition to last year’s local service expansion of 30 journalists hired in 22 communities across Canada. Many of the new positions are based in Central and Western Canada,” CBC editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon announced.

It’s not because CBC is drawing in more viewers or readers – and is therefore more successful – it is because they are bringing in more money thanks to government.

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The November budget from the Carney Liberals increased CBC’s taxpayer-funded allotment by $150 million per year. They will also get roughly $7 million per year from the $100 million annual fund that Google has put forward for Canadian media to ensure they are not covered by federal legislation.

No other media outlet in Canada is getting that kind of annual increase, most of it from taxpayers.

According to a briefing note initially obtained and reported on by Blacklock’s Reporter, the Heritage Ministry sees CBC as part of the backbone of this country and a tool of social cohesion.

“Signs of renewed cohesion and civic pride have been emerging in the face of the United States administration’s posture and attitude towards Canadian sovereignty,” stated a Sept. 24 briefing note reported on by Blacklock’s.

“However while this pride has grown significantly over the past year, certain segments of the population remain disengaged. There are worrying trends.”

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“There are foreign state efforts to drive social division,” said the briefing note titled Fostering Canadian Identity To Strengthen Our Sovereignty And Social Cohesion. “Other trends including disinformation campaigns launched by foreign actors, the amplification of divisive content on social media platforms and a growing overreliance on foreign owned platforms and content threaten our information sovereignty and continue to drive polarization and undermine our social cohesion.”

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If CBC is seen as key to the government’s view of social cohesion and at the same time is also receiving more than $150 million in additional funding, can they really be seen as an independent news source?

Earlier this week, former Conservative cabinet minister Lisa Raitt appeared as a panelist on CBC’s Power and Politics. As the panel was discussing the possibility of a pipeline to Canada’s northwest coast through British Columbia, Raitt said the pipeline was not impossible, unlike some other things.

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“I don’t think everything is impossible, other than David saying something nice about the Conservatives, that could be impossible,” Raitt said, referencing CBC host David Cochrane.

Raitt’s comment was funny because it was true. CBC is an incredibly biased news organization that we all pay for, and yet it produces news content that is one sided.

Cochrane, the host of the network’s premier political show is nothing if not a spokesman for the Liberal government. He denies such claims vehemently and yet can’t allow anything that strays from the Liberal talking points to be said without offering a correction or bringing in a Liberal point of view.

“The CBC is a pillar of our cultural identity and a cornerstone of our sovereignty,” said the briefing note to the Liberal minister.

In reality, CBC is a cornerstone of the Liberal Party and will do everything to ensure that party is elected. CBC long ago stopped being a neutral observer of what was happening politically and has instead long been an active political player and they lean one way – the way of the Liberal Party, which gives them more money at every turn.

As more local and regional outlets shut down, that will mean CBC, bought an paid for by the Liberals, will play a bigger role in ensuring Canadian elections go the route they hope for – the one that will always give CBC more money.

blilley@postmedia.com

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