OTTAWA – The Communications Energy and Paperworkers Union, Canada’s largest media union, said today it is consulting lawyers to explore avenues of appeal of the CRTC CanWest/Alliance deal, announced late yesterday by the CRTC.
"This is an appalling decision which skirts foreign ownership regulations based on a financial rationale that would bring a grin to the face of Karlheinz Schreiber," said Peter Murdoch vice-president media for CEP.
"We are not going to sit back and let the CRTC sell off Canada’s broadcasting industry to the U.S. The decision is a violation of the Broadcasting Act and we expect all opposition parties to be outraged and demand action to rescind it. Changing foreign ownership restrictions under the Act is a political decision not that of a regulator,” he added.
The union’s release added: “We are not prepared to let Stephen Harper use a regulatory agency to get through the back door what he is afraid to bring through the front door with legislation. Canadians do not want their communications and broadcast industries in the hands of foreign ownership. It threatens the sovereignty of our cultural industries and needs to be stopped.”
"Sadly, it is also further evidence that the CRTC is now entirely focused on the financial interests of big media and has abandoned its role as a voice for public policy. How the CRTC can count a maybe-provision in 2011 speaks to a regulator prepared to make up the rules as it goes along to suit the wishes of big corporations. Canadian audience and consumers are not being served,” said Murdoch.
