Heritage Minister Marc Miller told the Commons heritage committee Thursday that Canadians should be wary of “illegitimate” media as part of efforts to protect social cohesion, linking the role of the CBC and its $1.6 billion federal subsidy to combating disinformation.“When there is lack of support for a public broadcaster, I think that contributes to the spread of disinformation and social cohesion is therefore affected,” Miller said. “It’s not about any sort of command and control of the media system you might see in other countries.”Blacklock's Reporter said Conservative MP Rachael Thomas (Lethbridge) questioned Miller on his comments, noting the terminology could carry authoritarian overtones. “Experienced journalists have said this term is often used by the People’s Republic of China to mean state control and zero tolerance for challenges,” she said. “That seems counter to the values we hold here in Canada.”Miller defended the CBC’s mandate, arguing a state-financed public broadcaster is necessary in an age of widespread disinformation. “There is less social cohesion as falsities are propagated through media sources, both legitimate and illegitimate,” he testified, without identifying any specific outlets. “Integral to a healthy democracy, the fourth pillar of our democracy, is a healthy media ecosystem that exercises rightly its freedom of expression. Integral to that is a state-financed public media. That is the CBC.”.Cabinet recently tabled Supplementary Estimates (C), increasing the CBC’s annual federal subsidy to $1.6 billion this year. A September 24 departmental briefing note described the broadcaster as “a pillar of our cultural identity and a cornerstone of our sovereignty” and linked its work to fostering Canadian identity and social cohesion.“Signs of renewed cohesion and civic pride have been emerging in the face of the United States administration’s posture and attitude towards Canadian sovereignty,” the note said. “However while this pride has grown significantly over the past year, certain segments of the population remain disengaged. There are worrying trends.”Miller said the remarks were meant to highlight the importance of supporting a public broadcaster to maintain trust in Canadian institutions, not to exert control over media coverage.
