In defence of Canada’s public broadcaster

For those of us who have worked in the Canadian creative sector for decades, it is profoundly worrisome to witness the attacks on Catherine Tait, the president and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., for defending the CBC’s existence.

Over the course of her fiveyear tenure, Tait has worked tirelessly to defend the role of the public broadcaster, strengthen its relevancy to all Canadians and expand the accessibility of its programming.

During an era of massive global disruption and a plethora of choices on how and where content can be consumed, Tait’s leadership has provided audiences with stories that entertain, resonate and connect all Canadians.

We all know that there are forces calling for the defunding of the CBC. And while we commend those who say they’ll maintain Radio-Canada, which serves as a life line for eight million French speakers, those same forces are committed to dismantling the CBC that serves 30 million Canadians, including northern communities in eight Indigenous languages.

CBC/Radio-Canada knits our vast country together. It hosts the country’s only national callin radio show, “Cross Country Checkup” and several other shows such as “The Current,” “As it Happens” and “Cost of Living” — keeping a finger on the pulse of what Canadians are talking about, experiencing and thinking. And while radio is CBC’s force for local news, current affairs and information, the CBC provides a platform for this country’s creative community.

What would happen to our writers and book publishers without “Canada Reads,” “Writers and Company” and the Giller Prize gala broadcast? Think about our musicians without “q with Tom Power,” the Juno Awards broadcast, or the thousands of hours of airtime on the CBC Listen app.

And then there are our homegrown television shows including “Schitt’s Creek,” “Kim’s Convenience,” “This Hour Has 22 Minutes,” “The Fifth Estate” and Shaftesbury’s “Murdoch Mysteries.”

Not only have these CBC shows put Canada on the world stage, but for each dollar CBC/ Radio-Canada spends on television production, $3 of economic activity is stimulated across the country. This means that CBC/Radio Canada generates $1.5 billion in economic activity each year. More than its annual government funding.

When a production crew goes into a community to film an episode of “Murdoch Mysteries,” people are employed, apartments rented, caterers hired, sets built; hundreds of small businesses benefit. In more than 16 seasons of “Murdoch Mysteries,” nearly 10,000 fulltime jobs have been created.

Economics aside, what of our Canadian creative talent?

The CBC commissions more Canadian programs in the drama, comedy and documentary categories than all private broadcasters combined. If CBC/Radio-Canada disappears, what would happen to these Canadian stories and our many cultures?

CBC/Radio-Canada is the most underfunded public broadcaster in the world. It costs each taxpayer about $33 per year — excellent value for my money and an incredible and important return for our country.

We all need to stand up and defend the CBC.