NDP to restore CBC funding

If elected to government, the NDP would cancel the Conservatives’ $115 million cut to CBC/Radio-Canada.

“An NDP government would give our public broadcaster some room to breathe, by ensuring stable, predictable, multiyear funding to help protect the CBC from advertising-market fluctuations and to allow it to fulfill its mandate,” said NDP leader Tom Mulcair.

A New Democratic government would cancel the $115 million in cuts to be applied over three fiscal years that were announced in the 2012 budget. These cuts led to the dismissal of 650 full-time employees and also forced the closure of the renowned entrepôt du Costumier in Montreal.

“The CBC is an essential public service in a country like ours, where minority-language communities require regional news coverage in their own language,” said Mulcair.

To prevent this situation from arising again in the future, an NDP government would also set up an independent process for appointing members of the CBC’s board of directors. “Muzzling this institution for ideological reasons is unhealthy for our democracy. The NDP will fix the situation,” added Mulcair.