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Friends of Canadian Broadcasting reveals false statement of Harper-appointed CBC President

False statement made by Hubert Lacroix, CBC President, reveals who he really works for
From Ian Morrison, spokesperson,
FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting 
Something remarkable, but sadly expected, took place today. During a stormy meeting with CBC’s employees who pressed him to take on the Harper government about its neglect of public broadcasting, Hubert Lacroix, CBC’s President – appointed by Harper seven years ago – blurted out that the government is CBC’s ‘shareholder’. Of course, that is false. CBC belongs to all of us - all 35,427,524 Canadians. That’s what distinguishes a ‘public’ broadcaster from a ‘state’ broadcaster in democratic countries. We have known for some time that Lacroix is Harper’s man at the CBC and that he, along with three-quarters of CBC’s Harper-appointed Board of Directors have been financial supporters of the Conservative Party. But now Lacroix has come right out and said it. He works for the government! I was very proud of CBC staffers who challenged Lacroix with vigour today – and demanded his resignation, a call FRIENDS has echoed. Lacroix also announced at today’s meeting that CBC was moving it emphasis from broadcast radio and television to digital delivery, on tablets, computers and iPhones over the next five years. The growing numbers of mature Canadians who depend on over-the-air radio and television for information about their community, their country and their world – a service for which they have pre-paid through their taxes for decades – face discrimination at the hands of Harper’s man at the CBC, not unlike when he butchered Radio 2.
All this comes back to Stephen Harper. His Party’s 2011 election promise to maintain or increase CBC funding was not worth the paper it was written on.  He has hacked almost $250 million out of CBC since 2012, causing a shortfall that led to today’s shocking announcement by a man whom Harper appointed to lead CBC without any prior experience or expertise in broadcasting management, programming or scheduling. The creative people who actually make programs at the CBC have one huge asset – the loyalty and affection of the vast majority of Canadians!
I will get back to you shortly with news of our plans to respond to today’s travesty. But in the meantime, I want to make sure you hear about what happened on a timely basis. Some good may come out of all this. The cat is out of the bag. Harper and his man at the CBC are responsible for all the cuts and layoffs. Our job will be to hold Harper accountable for what he has done at the next election! Yours sincerely, Ian Morrison
Spokesperson
FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting
FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting is an independent watchdog for Canadian programming and is not affiliated with any broadcaster or political party. [200/238-131 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S 1R8, 866-833-1282; http://www.friends.ca/]

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