PKP and the Chamber of Secrets

This week saw the playing out of a Harper Conservative morality play of sorts, as Pierre-Karl Peladeau visited Parliament to defend Quebecor's 400+ information requests from CBC and urge to the House to: a) MAKE CBCreveal all information requested, even though they are a competitor requesting what amount to trade secrets of sorts, and despite that the CBC already reveals almost everything about it's finances and management in public documents and audits; b) force CBC to spend taxpayer's money purchasing advertising in Quebecor media properties, despite refusing to grant CBC the advertising it wanted, and despite an editorial policy of slandering the CBC every week (see: Toronto Sun, but be warned that you may temporarily lose touch with sanity and reality by reading it); c) reduce or eliminate funding to the CBC entirely, and put it's properties up for sale; d) force the CBC to "cease and desist" publishing evidence which shows that Quebecor is itself the recipient of nearly $500 million in government largesse since 2008, and claiming (accurately) that PKP himself had written to the Prime Minister asking that CBC be forced to buy advertising, be shuttered, etc.. Probably one of the best descriptions of what's going on is in the Globe. And here.

Interestingly, the Harper Government has openly mused that it was planning to cut funding to the CBC, but also that these cuts were in line with cuts demanded of the entire public service. Which is rather strange to say the least, since in return for federal money, CBC actually earns revenues. It is, therefore, quite unlike most recipients of government expenditure. In addition, the Government itself has been utterly unwilling to publish necessary requested documents for half a decade, yet despite CBC having a justified rationale for not publishing everything, they expect it alone of government entities to answer every request no matter how frivolous. Yet still, they do not open their mouths but allow PKP to make all statements on their behalf. Whimsical, false, ideological and cowardly all at once. Can our federal government not make whatever decision they choose with regard to the CBC? Of course they can, but they prefer to lie to the public by allowing an altogether surreal parallel process take place and have PKP take the heat, such as it is.M

While it would be amusingly ironic under different circumstances--particularly PKP's notions, at one and the same time, that CBC MUST, as "state" broadcaster, take out advertising in every Canadian media organization (even if they have no interest in doing so, even if certain media organizations are taking whatever money is paid to the and using it to try and kill the CBC!), but not have the right to request how and where that advertising money is spent. To be honest, I always figured that those that read tabloids were misguided and misinformed, but I never guessed it would come to the state we're in, where certain media organs are using their considerable resources to tell bald-faced lies, and stand by the defence that the lies are merely an "interpretation" of the facts. We are really through the looking glass, in a very desperate way. These people are not only out to destroy the CBC, but almost everything that I grew up regarding as Canada's legacy of good ideas and good behaviour to the world. It makes me both angry and sad.