OTTAWA — Monday afternoon CBC/Radio-Canada issued a press release to counter what it calls “incorrect reporting” posted on websites and circulating on social media about its funding from the federal government.
“Over the past several days, a number of Internet sites including Blacklock’s Reporter, the Post Millennial, Rebel Media, and True North, have been claiming, “CBC-TV Gets A Covid Bailout” and “Trudeau Liberals give failing CBC-TV bailout”. The reports have been amplified on social media,” reads the CBC/Radio-Canada press release.
“These claims are incorrect,” continues the public broadcaster’s release. “Neither CBC TV nor CBC/Radio-Canada has received additional funding from the government.”
CBC/Radio-Canada goes on to say the Supplementary Estimates B, tabled in Parliament last week, document CBC/Radio-Canada’s internal transfer of $33.7 million from its current capital budget to its current operating budget. “As the Estimates make clear, this is an ‘Internal reallocation of resources for the Covid-19 impact to advertising revenues and operating costs,’” says the release.
The Estimates also show $36.7 million which CBC/Radio-Canada is seeking to advance from fiscal 2021-22 to fiscal 2020-21 in order to offset payments made on broadcast rights for the delayed Tokyo Olympics.
“These payments will not be recovered until the Olympics are held next summer and are described in the Estimates as ‘Funding for broadcasting rights for the Tokyo Olympics’. In turn, CBC/Radio-Canada’s appropriation for 2021–22 will be reduced by $36.7 million,” explains the press release.
“Neither of these transfers constitutes additional funding,” says the release, reiterating CBC/Radio-Canada has not received additional funding since the pandemic began.
“It is unfortunate that incorrect reporting is being used to criticize public broadcasting and CBC TV in particular. CBC/Radio-Canada has requested that these reports be corrected,” concludes the release.
