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CBC head calls for a ‘national conversation’ on Conservatives’ pledge to defund

Jan 29, 2025 | 3:17 PM

OTTAWA — With Donald Trump making “territorial claims,” the new head of CBC says defunding the public broadcaster could erode a pillar of Canada’s cultural identity.

Marie-Philippe Bouchard, CEO of CBC-Radio-Canada, is calling for a “national conversation” on the Conservatives’ promise to defund and is launching a tour to get it started.

She says it’s important for Canadians to be equipped with facts about the likely impacts of stripping away CBC’s funding for English-language services.

She says Canadians are not engaging with the issue at the level they should be as the country heads into a federal election later this year.

Bouchard will appear at a production industry conference later this week and then tour Western Canada, engaging with business and civic leaders, industry, CBC audiences and employees.

She says the Conservative pledge to cut a billion dollars from CBC’s government funding, keeping only francophone news, wouldn’t work because there wouldn’t be enough money left to maintain a viable French-language service.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press

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