Source : Ottawa Citizen

Group wants Harper to clarify position on 'commercialization of CBC Radio'

Arts and culture, traditionally invisible topics during Canadian federal election campaigns, bounced back onto the campaign agenda again yesterday, fuelled by ongoing fears that a majority Conservative government would slash funding to cultural programs and institutions.

A new poll released by the watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting suggests that almost two-thirds of Canadian voters consider the $1.1 billion the federal government spends on CBC's English and French services to be a good use of taxpayers' money.

Friends commissioned the poll in response to a pre-election fundraising letter signed by Conservative campaign director Doug Finley.

As part of his appeal for money, Mr. Finley asked for responses to several questions, including: "The CBC costs taxpayers over $1.1 billion per year. Do you think this is a good use of taxpayers' dollars or a bad use of taxpayers' dollars?"

Mr. Finley promised to take all responses and comments to his leader.

"I will personally share the overall results and any comments with the Prime Minister," he said. "People like you drive our policy development."

The Friends poll, conducted by the survey firm Nanos and finished two days ago, was based on the Finley question.

Nationwide, about 76 per cent of the 1,201 respondents said they either supported CBC's current funding levels (52 per cent) or favoured an increase (24 per cent). About 14 per cent said they favoured cutting the CBC's budget. Of those who identified themselves as Conservatives, 68 per cent said they favoured either the funding status quo or an increase. The poll has a 2.8-percentage-point margin of error 19 times out of 20.

Mr. Harper is on record as favouring the commercialization of some CBC services and funding only those without commercial alternatives. He has specifically pointed to the main English TV network and the Radio 2 network as services that might have public funding pulled.

"Mr. Harper should tell Canadians where he stands on CBC funding," said a spokesman for Friends, Ian Morrison, "and what he means by the commercialization of CBC Radio."

Since he mused four years ago about cutting CBC funding, Mr. Harper hasn't clarified his position.

The public view of the CBC conflicts with "Harper-Finley ideology" said Mr. Morrison.

"The Prime Minister's Office knows that the CBC is popular in Canada," he said, "and that the majority of people who vote Conservative like the CBC. There is all kinds of evidence about Mr. Harper's anti-CBC bias, but the Conservatives probably believe that it's not an issue that will lose them votes."

Although many of the CBC's traditional and powerful friends are unhappy with CBC management for recent programming changes -- especially on Radio 2 -- Mr. Morrison predicts that any wholesale slashing of CBC's budget will cause widespread anger across the country.

"They would have a hell of a fight on their hands," he said, "because nobody can say that ordinary people don't listen and watch CBC."

Yesterday's second cultural campaign episode saw Liberal heritage critic Denis Coderre demanding that Mr. Harper censure Conservative Lanark-area candidate Scott Reid, who was quoted in an area newspaper as saying: "I don't think government should be giving funding to the arts."

Canadians should not trust the Conservatives to support artists, said Mr, Coderre.

"If Mr. Reid's comments are representative of the Conservatives' attitude towards arts and culture," he said, "it's not surprising that Mr. Harper has made cuts to arts funding."

The Harper government cut $45 million in cultural spending shortly before the election.

"When combined with the Conservatives' desire to censor films," added Mr. Coderre, "it is becoming increasingly clear that the Conservatives will stop at nothing to cut funding to the arts in Canada."

The overall federal Conservative attitude toward culture is unclear, said Alain Pineau, national director of the Canadian Conference of the Arts.

"There have been some interesting initiatives," he said, "but no clear policy and no track record. There has not been much consultation or openness. Everyone has been surprised by the coverage culture has had during the campaign, but whether it will make a difference in the election remains to be seen. Artists are largely concentrated in three main urban centres -- Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto -- and maybe the Conservatives don't expect to get seats there."

Much Conservative government arts funding has been short term, added Mr. Pineau. Studies calling for a new federal museum policy and a $75-million transfusion into the museum system have been shelved.

"Where they're heading is very difficult to read," he said, "although one possibility is devolution of arts and culture to the provinces. Under the Constitution, culture is nobody's responsibility, except for broadcasting and copyright.

"So it's a mixed review. There is no great fear and loathing because we just don't know. We are bound to work with any government that gets elected on Oct 14. We'll wait and see."

© Ottawa Citizen

Related Documents:

October 1, 2008 - News Release - Canadians think CBC is a good investment. What does Prime Minister Harper think?
According to a Nanos survey, nearly two-thirds of Canadian voters (63%) think the government's investment in CBC is a good use of taxpayers’ dollars.