Dear Friend,
Finally, a Parliamentary Committee – the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage – will pay attention to the role of the CBC in the 21st century. This is our chance to influence their work – and speak up for a strong, independent public broadcaster. I am writing to urge you to join me in putting your views before the Committee by February 26.
The Heritage Committee is asking for input on a sweeping agenda and the questions it is asking are both pertinent and detailed.
The Committee's call for public comment presents a rare opportunity to strengthen and reform our national public broadcaster, and to bring to bear on a hostile government the weight of public opinion.
FRIENDS has accepted an invitation to submit a formal brief and to appear before the Committee. The Committee is inviting all Canadians to submit written comments by February 26. During the months of March, April and May, the Committee plans to travel across Canada to hear the views of interested Canadians.
The easiest way to make your own voice heard is to compose a message in your word processing software and copy and paste it into the space provided in FRIENDS' online Action Centre. Our Action Centre software will transmit your comments immediately to the Committee and send you a copy for your records.
You can reach FRIENDS' Action Centre by clicking on the following link:
As you know, FRIENDS has good reason to believe that Stephen Harper has a secret agenda for the CBC, and may be prepared to change it beyond recognition, perhaps even to shut it down, but only if he thinks he can get away with it politically.
That's why the Heritage Committee's investigation is so crucially important and why your and my full participation in the Heritage Committee investigation is essential.
This is an unparalleled chance to speak up for a strong, independent national public broadcaster, to insist that CBC have the resources and mandate to program locally in communities across the land, and to reform CBC's management and governance so that only the best and brightest Canadians are appointed to CBC's Board of Directors – ending Prime Ministerial patronage appointments to the Board forever – and giving the Board the power to hire, and if necessary fire, CBC's President. For more information on priorities for a new CBC, see this page.
I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to participate in the Heritage Committee’s work. Together, we will communicate to the Stephen Harper government that the CBC is a valued Canadian institution that needs to be revitalized and strengthened.
Best regards and thanks!
Ian Morrison
Spokesperson
FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting
P.S. Please feel free to forward this message to your friends and family.