Media Agenda Of The Harper Conservatives

* "The CBC-SRC is an important part of the broadcasting system in Canada. It must be a true public service broadcaster, relevant to Canadians. The Conservative Party will focus the CBC-SRC services on its mandates as public broadcasting services." * "Private sector broadcasters and service-providers first and foremost are businesses that must be able to compete in an ever-increasing fragmented and global market." * "The CRTC's role in content regulation will be reduced to eliminate duplication where other legislation exists." These three sentences threaten CBC's role in presenting the Olympics and professional sports (such as Hockey Night in Canada) as well as undermine the CRTC as a defender of minimum levels of Canadian programming in the radio and TV systems. In the lead up to the 2004 election, on May 19, 2004, Stephen Harper was asked by a CBC reporter in Winnipeg to comment on his plans for CBC. Here's what he said then: "I've suggested that government subsidies in support of CBC's services should be to those things that are not... Do not have commercial alternatives." He added: "When you take a look at things like main-English language television and probably to a lesser degree Radio Two, you could there (sic) at putting those on a commercial basis." (www.friends.ca/News/Friends_News/archives/articles05190403.asp) http://friends.ca/news/Fact_Sheets/factsheets08220601.asp

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