MPs slam government over CBC cuts

While the CBC and Radio Canada move to cut 800 full-time jobs to save $171-million, opposition MPs are slamming the government for not listening to the will of Parliament. "We passed a bill on Kyoto, they didn't respect it, we passed a bill to help Third World countries, they didn't respect it, we passed many motions, no, Stephen Harper is trying to run this Parliament as if it were a monarchy, as if he was the new king of Canada," said Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez (Honoré-Mercier, Que.), his party's heritage critic who introduced the motion. "The Prime Minister has decided that democracy and Parliament are not important anymore and he's calling the shots, no matter what Parliament says which is unacceptable." The CBC announced on March 25 that it would cut 800 full-times jobs to save $171-million during this global economic downturn. CBC president and CEO Hubert Lacroix told staff that because 60 per cent of the public broadcaster's $1.1-billion budget goes towards paying salaries, there would be necessary job losses. The CBC, which employs more than 9,000 people, will cut 393 jobs from English services and 336 from French services, while 70 would from corporate services. Although Mr. Lacroix said no stations would close across the country, there would be significant cuts to current affairs, music, sports and special events programming. "It was really important to us to maintain our geographic presence, our footprint across Canada," The Globe and Mail quoted Mr. Lacroix saying. "I can honestly say that coming up with a plan to get us through this mess has been as tough a task as most of us have ever faced." Paul Hambleton, managing editor of CBC's Hill bureau, said in an email last week that there have been no cuts made to TV or radio resources for the national bureau. "At this point, the overall process to determine where any cuts will land is still in play across English network news and I don't expect any firm decisions for at least a few weeks yet," he said. "Obviously there are serious financial issues confronting the CBC as a whole, but at this time, it's premature to say if the Ottawa Hill bureau will be affected." The CBC asked the government for bridge financing, or an advance on upcoming funds, to help it get through the current economic downturn because of a loss of ad revenue resulting in $60-million below budget. Heritage Minister James Moore (Port Moody-Port Coquitlam, B.C.) said the government would not advance the funds, prompting the CBC to try to move to liquidate $125-million of its assets, the amount asked for in bridge financing. The Liberals then used an opposition day debate to urge the government to change its mind. But it didn't happen. Mr. Rodriguez's motion stated that the House "regrets the financial hardship and substantial layoffs that CBC/Radio-Canada currently faces; and urges the government to provide CBC/Radio-Canada with the bridge financing it requires to maintain 2008 staffing and service levels." The motion passed with the help of the NDP and the Bloc Québécois, 136 to 126. "If the government is not willing to do anything to help CBC, the House should send a clear message that we disagree with them and we have to protect our public broadcaster and make sure they have enough money to realize their mandate throughout the country including in every region and in both official languages," Mr. Rodriguez said. The Hill Times asked Mr. Moore twice last week if the Conservatives would comply with the motion, which is non-binding on the government, and he stated that the Conservatives campaigned to fund the CBC at current levels. "We'll respect our campaign commitment," he said. "We're going to comply with what we ran on in the election campaign." During the opposition day debate, Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro (Peterborough, Ont.), Parliamentary secretary to the Heritage minister, noted that the CBC is not alone in suffering from the economic downturn. "The broadcasting industry in Canada is undergoing substantial hardship and, like any other industry, has had to adjust. All broadcasters have had to work within budget constraints, whether it is through a loss of advertising revenues or from other realities in this age of new media. They have had to make tough choices," he told the House. "We will be monitoring the decisions of the board members very carefully to make sure that they respect CBC's mandate and treat the employees fairly." Mr. Del Mastro also said that since the Conservatives have formed the government, the CBC has received annual increases to its budgets and pointed out that CBC executive vice-president of English services Richard Stursberg previously said that had the government loaned the $125-million, the public broadcaster would still have had to make significant cuts. "This is regrettable, but it is the reality broadcasters are facing," he said, also pointing out that when the Liberals were in power from 1993, it cut $414-million from the CBC budget and 4,000 jobs were lost. "There are serious challenges facing the Canadian broadcast industry, and representatives in this industry, including the CBC, have to tighten their belts." Conservative MP Sylvie Boucher (Beauport-Limoilou, Que.) said in the House last week that the government is committed to arts and culture in Canada, supports the English and French public broadcaster which she described as "one of our most important cultural institutions," and said the government's investment in CBC/Radio Canada is the largest of all spending on culture with the exception of the Department of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, and receives 22 per cent of all budget spending on Crown corporations. "Since 2006, our government has invested over $3-billion to enable CBC/Radio-Canada to fulfill its mandate. In 2008-09, our government gave the crown corporation $1.117-billion to fulfill its mandate to Canadians throughout the country, in English, French and eight native languages," Ms. Boucher said, noting that CBC-Radio Canada has generated over $1.5-billion in revenues since 2006-07. "The role of a responsible government is not limited to handing out dollars. We must also ensure healthy governance, strong management and effective accounting." Mr. Rodriguez said last week that the Conservative increase was mandated through Treasury Board to pay for the annual 1.5 per cent increase in salaries and is not new money. "This small increase would've taken place even if Mickey Mouse was the prime minister of Canada because it's planned by Treasury Board. There was no planned increase by the Conservative government. Quite the opposite, they've been shooting at the CBC for years," he said. NDP MP and heritage critic Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay, Ont.) said last week the Conservative funding was "flat" and that the small increases are not enough for CBC to carry out its mandate in a country as diverse and with as many time zones as Canada. "Do not play games with this, this is serious stuff. If you're not going to give them money, stand up and say it. Stand up and say, 'We don't like CBC, we never liked CBC, our base doesn't like CBC, and they're going to suffer right now.' Just say it and be honest and get on with it," Mr. Angus said, noting that the cuts the CBC has had to make are "very deep and very traumatic" which will affect not only national coverage of federal politics, but communities across Canada. "We haven't even seen the full results of the cuts that are going to start happening at the national bureaus," Mr. Angus said. "It's the ability of the nation to speak to the regions, and the regions to speak to the nation. When you don't have journalists in large sections of the country, those stories that could be of national importance aren't getting out. Local rock radio or local new country radio is not in a position that CBC's been empowered to do by the government of Canada for the last 80 years." Mr. Rodriguez said that the Conservatives were being insincere when it said that the CBC had to adjust its budgets because of the economic downturn. Their decision to not help the CBC is ideological, he said. "They're talking out of two sides of their mouths," he said. "They're saying we have to stimulate the economy so we have to get into a deficit to put money into infrastructure, forestry, here and there, but not a penny in CBC, so that proves what I'm saying. They made a clear choice. They're ready to go into a huge deficit to provide money to stimulate the economy, but not a penny to the CBC." Private broadcasters are also facing some difficulties in this recession. In a release, CTV said it would cut the three hour "A" station morning shows produced in Victoria, B.C., London, Ont., and Barrie, Ont., in addition to the six o'clock and 11 o'clock newscasts in Ottawa. This counted for 188 job losses. Prior to that announcement, CTV also said it would not renew broadcasting licenses for its "A" stations in Wingham, Wheatley, Windsor and Pembroke. Canwest Global Communications, parent company of the Global TV network and the Canwest chain of newspapers including the Ottawa Citizen and the National Post, also announced cuts to its operations last fall. Because of a decline in ad revenue, 210 positions in broadcasting and 350 positions in its publishing divisions were cut through voluntary buyouts, attrition and layoffs. When the House returns from the Easter break, the House Heritage Committee will study the broadcasting industry's challenges, including funding, fee for carriage, digital programming and the government's role in addressing these challenges, as well as what impact the shrinking conventional TV industry has on local communities. bvongdou@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

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MPs slam government over CBC cuts

But Conservatives say the CBC is not alone in suffering during the economic downturn.

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