NDP: Conservative meddling in CRTC hearings is inappropriate

New Democrats are urging Conservatives to stop playing politics with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) hearings after the Heritage Minister released a statement in the middle of “Let's Talk TV” consultations.

“It is extremely inappropriate for the Conservatives to play partisan politics with these hearings,” said NDP Heritage critic Pierre Nantel (Longueuil – Pierre-Boucher). “As the Conservatives well know, the CRTC is an independent body and must be allowed to come to its own conclusions.”

The CRTC has begun a two-week study on the future of television services in Canada, including important questions in the public interest about how Canadians will produce and access media in a digital era. Partisan political meddling by the Conservatives risks undermining the consultation.