Whenever a story breaks about CBC, as it did recently when the broadcaster announced layoffs, my office receives a number of form letters bashing the Government for cut backs to the CBC and accusing the government of an agenda to destroy Canada’s public broadcaster.

I support the CBC and long ago this Government made it clear that it supported the CBC too.

The proof is in the more than $1.1 billion of funding that the CBC receives from you, the Canadian taxpayer.

So that’s why it frustrates me and a number of my constituents that a genuine dialogue about preserving public broadcasting in Canada is stopped short by partisanship and misinformation  with no other purpose than demonizing the Government.

I’m like any number of Canadians older than 35 who grew up listening daily to CBC radio.  When I lived a while in Jasper National Park, CBC Radio was my lifeline, connecting me to Canada and the world. 

But the fact is, Canada is in a recession and the broadcasting industry is experiencing some very challenging economic times, both locally and nationally.  The CBC, like many Corporations, has had to make some tough decisions.

The good news is that CBC executives believe the CBC will emerge from this recession in a position of strength by following the long-term strategic priorities already approved by the Board of Directors of the CBC.  

Somewhere in that long-term strategic plan I hope there is a renewed commitment to public broadcasting.

John Reith, founding director of the BBC wrote that the role of a public broadcaster is to “bring into the greatest possible number of homes … all that is best in every department of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement.”

I like the sounds of that.  I like the idea that Canadians have access to a public broadcaster that champions all that is best in us, that provides an alternative to commercial programming and which carries the responsibility of airing programming that is balanced and tolerant of different views.

Rather than writing to me under the misconception that CBC’s problems are a result of government cutbacks, I would rather see constituents demand that the CBC affirm its mandate as a genuine public broadcaster. 

There is no doubt that the face of broadcasting is changing and people are adapting to alternate means of communication like the web.  But surely as long as there is a need for Canadians to connect with each other and the world, there will be a need, and a niche, for homegrown public broadcasting in this country.