OTTAWA — The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has found comments made about women on CHIK-FM’s Dupont le matin morning show in January did not violate broadcast codes.
The CBSC released on Thursday its decision concerning a comment made by CHIK-FM morning show host Stéphan Dupont during the broadcast on January 16, 2015, which a listener found offensive. While discussing with his show co-hosts how gender roles have evolved in society, Dupont recounted a discussion he had with a friend the previous day, repeating what his friend had said: [translation] “When girls started giving blowjobs, they took control.”
One of CHIK-FM’s listeners considered this comment to be sexist and filed a complaint about the radio program. In response, the radio station explained the comments were not intended to be offensive toward women, and indicated it would put measures in place to ensure similar comments would not occur in future. The complainant was not satisfied by CHIK-FM’s response and he subsequently emailed a ruling request to the CBSC.
In a press release explaining its ruling decision, the CBSC said its Quebec Regional Panel examined the complaint under provisions of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Code of Ethics and Equitable Portrayal Code regarding human rights, stereotyping and degrading material.
“The Panel concluded that the remarks did not violate any of those code provisions. The Panel acknowledged that the comment was somewhat vulgar, but it was made in the context of a broader discussion about the evolution of gender roles, including how women have achieved success in the paid workforce and how men have learned to do domestic tasks. Overall, the conversation was not abusively discriminatory on the basis of sex, nor did it promote negative or degrading stereotypes about women in general,” the CBSC said in its news release.
The CBSC was created in 1990 by Canada’s private broadcasters to administer the codes of standards that they established for their industry. The CBSC currently administers 7 codes which deal with ethics, equitable portrayal, violence, news and journalistic independence. Nearly 900 radio stations, satellite radio services, television stations and specialty and pay television services across Canada are members of the Council.
