Statement by the NDP on the budget cuts to the CBC

NDP Heritage critic Pierre Nantel (Longueuil – Pierre-Boucher) made the following statement in reaction to the budget cuts to the CBC:

New Democrats are saddened that 657 workers at the CBC are losing their jobs today.

We believe that the CBC is a core cultural institution and that it must remain strong in order to fulfill its mandate. But that cannot happen unless it receives stable and adequate long-term funding.

Unfortunately, Conservatives have chosen to undermine and weaken it with ideological cuts, even as the CBC has had to deal with an increasingly difficult and competitive market.

The budget cuts announced today by the CBC’s board of directors are worrisome and have made me wonder whether the CBC will be able to fulfill its responsibilities under the current conditions.

Despite the efforts of our public broadcaster, the federal government clearly has no intention of helping the CBC to make the technological turnaround necessary to ensure the corporation’s future.

It is disappointing to see that the new Heritage minister is continuing with the Conservatives' track record of abandoning this institution, which millions of Canadians count on.