GATINEAU – A Télé-Québec public affairs show was not racist when it broadcast episodes critical of Islam, the CRTC has found.
The commission received complaints from some viewers who were offended that Benoit Dutrizac, co-host of the program Les Francs-tireurs, said that Islam was a “stupid religion” for requiring children to fast. In another episode, he said that he was “pissed off” by Muslim students at a Montreal school who filed a million-dollar lawsuit against the school after it refused to provide them with areas for prayer and other religious practices.
The Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations said that the host’s comments discriminated against the Muslim religion and exposed Muslims to contempt and hatred.
Télé-Québec responded to the complaint by apologizing for any offence, but said that “while perhaps appearing caustic and reprehensible to some people, nevertheless constitute a legitimate opinion in our free and democratic society. The purpose of the CRTC is not to prevent commentary, which would constitute an unacceptable limitation of freedom of speech and the public’s right to information,” the TV broadcaster wrote.
The commission had to judge whether the comments were abusive or exposed a group of individuals to hatred or contempt. While the comments could be considered inappropriate by some people, they were neither abusive nor contemptuous, the CRTC found. The broadcaster did not violate the TV regulations, which prohibit abusive comment.
The complaint went to the CRTC because Télé-Québec is not a member of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
