I don’t see a problem with the request
The Conservatives want the CBC to give them detailed costings of future endeavors before handing over any more dough. Why is this a problem? If I go into the bank and want a loan, I have to give all sorts of information - and yet it’s my responsibility to pay the money back.If I want to book a venue for my wedding, I request an estimate. The CBC wants money for nothing, no strings attached… yet it won’t even say what it’s for.
“Without having a full costing of the recommendations,” he [Ed Fast] said, “the government can’t respond. The challenge we have put to other parties and the CBC is come back to the government with full prioritized costings and full consideration will be given to the report. I hope the CBC will take up that challenge.”
Watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting said Thursday the Conservatives refusal to commit to specific funding deliberately sets the CBC up to fail. [a conspiracy!]
“The Heritage committee set out to more closely align CBC’s mandate and resources because it is widely recognized CBC resources are insufficient to meet its mandate,” said spokesman Ian Morrison. “The Conservative minority report would expand this gap, not narrow it. It calls for CBC to do more but denies CBC the required resources, It is a road map that would be extremely damaging to the CBC, especially its English television network.”
Oh, those big scary Conservatives are after us, run for your lives!
As a taxpayer who reluctantly funds this albatross, I really don’t see anything untoward with requesting a costing. It makes good financial business sense. If the CBC is actually planning on producing anything valuable, they shouldn’t have a problem with giving details.
However, if they just want to keep pork on the budget without a fight, I would see why it might bother them a little…
They didn’t have to do this already? Our government has been taking money off my paycheque and giving it to the CBC with no questions asked? WTF?
Comment by philanthropist — February 29, 2008 @ 9:21 pm
The Ceeb could save millions if they just told everybody that they were going to make TV shows about Hockey, lesbians and Anne of Green Gables. That way we could all just change channels beforehand and the Ceeb could not even bother to make the shows in the first place. Why waste the video tape?
I mean really!?? Hockey wives????? as a “drama”? Gimmie a break!
Comment by arctic_front — March 4, 2008 @ 5:25 pm
When CBC cancelled Hockey Night in Canada my last excuse for watching this obscenely irrelevant taxpayer sinkhole died. I can’t get Fox News ( thanks to the meddling CRTC ) with my TV provider.
CBC should get the same treatment as Fox News - make it available only as a premium satellite channel.
Charge users the same fees as Fairchild charges for their enlightened Chinese programming!
Or at least make them beg for funding the way PBS does.
Weird how the CBC manages to do good radio but produces the worst TV in North America.
Comment by Tom Wilkins — July 16, 2008 @ 1:32 pm