OTTAWA – Canada needs a strong public broadcaster to support Canadian culture and democracy in the digital world, says CBC/Radio-Canada in its submission to the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel.
“CBC/Radio-Canada remains a cornerstone of Canada’s cultural and creative sector,” said president and CEO Catherine Tait, in a statement. “We want to ensure it can help strengthen homegrown culture. Like public broadcasters around the world, we have a crucial role to play in reflecting diversity; in providing more trusted news and stronger links with local communities; in being a destination for future generations of children; and in providing a powerful platform to share culture globally.”
The public broadcaster’s submission includes the following three proposals:
– Strengthen public broadcasting as a cornerstone of Canadian culture;
– Strengthen the quality and access to trusted news and information for all Canadians; and
– Strengthen Canadian culture by ensuring that all companies who benefit from our market contribute to the sustainability of Canadian culture.
CBC/Radio-Canada is also calling for “sufficient, predictable funding” plus recommends that digital companies—both foreign and domestic— “contribute to the creation of Canadian culture, as traditional broadcasting companies already do.”
“CBC/Radio-Canada is excited about the future”, added Tait. “Canadians are embracing our new digital services, and younger Canadians are returning to their public broadcaster through mobile services and podcasts. While there are significant challenges in the digital world, CBC/Radio-Canada believes there are tremendous opportunities for Canada to use the power of digital to build a strong cultural system for Canadians.”
