Ad Free CBC
A text from Friends of Canadian Broadcasting highlighting a government panel’s call for significant reforms to Canada’s broadcasting laws to protect our culture, media and democracy.
February 1, 2020
Big news out of Ottawa this week. A government panel that’s been studying the future of the CBC and our broadcasting laws has reported. They’re calling for significant reforms to protect our culture, media and democracy, many of which FRIENDS has championed for years:
- CBC should eliminate ads for all platforms within five years;
- Predictable, long-term funding for CBC should be enshrined in law;
- Government should end the free ride for foreign-owned web giants like Netflix and compel them to finance their fair share of Canadian content.
Opposition is mobilizing.
Already, the Conservatives are trashing the Panel’s proposals. You can also be sure that an army of lobbyists for Netflix and other Big Tech companies are working overtime to kill these significant reforms.
A strong, independent CBC with additional funding to replace ad generated revenue. Streaming giants telling our stories and paying their taxes. Our objectives are so very close. But we must move quickly. We might not get another opportunity like this. We don’t know how long this government will last. We may have as little as 12 months left.
So here’s the plan.
We must launch a bold ad campaign to urge the government to act now. We’ll intensify our efforts to connect supporters like you with your MP. And our team will do whatever it takes to ensure that your message is delivered to MPs and the Prime Minister. That’s my promise to you.
We need to seize this moment, so we don’t lose our chance to get what we’ve been fighting for. By making a $20 donation right now, you’re making sure we have the resources to get this crucial effort off the ground, and fast.
We’re facing off against giant media companies, a timid government, a hostile conservative party, and massive foreign tech monopolies. They might have the money, but we’ve got Canadians on our side. We’ve got you.
And you’ve got us.
Best regards,