Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly says the CBC is critical to safeguarding Canadian democracy against external threats, particularly from the United States.
Blacklock's Reporter says speaking to the Vancouver Board of Trade, Joly argued that the Crown broadcaster is as vital as Parliament and the courts in the current “security crisis.”
“For us, we need to make sure we defend our own sovereignty, including the fact of having strong media here at home and also a very strong CBC, which is essential to make sure we have a strong democracy,” said Joly.
She emphasized that media is one of three key institutions underpinning democracy, alongside the legislative and judicial branches.
Joly did not directly name U.S. President Donald Trump but warned of growing instability.
“I think we are now in an emergency,” she said. “We are in a security crisis.”
She noted that much of her focus as foreign minister has shifted south of the border. “I am working 98% on the United States right now,” she said, adding that “we will continue to be dealing with unpredictability. That’s just a fact. And yes, we will be looking at Twitter a lot. That’s just a fact.”
Joly did not specify what role she expects the CBC to play but defended its role in holding power to account. “The journalists, I don’t always agree with them, okay?” she said. “They make my life very difficult. But I know they are asking questions based on the fact that I’m in a position of leadership and power, and I need to be accountable to people.”
She dismissed the idea that social media alone could replace traditional media. “You know, you cannot have only social media platforms to have a democracy,” she said. “You need to be able to have both.”
As culture minister in 2016, Joly acknowledged the CBC was struggling with declining viewership and ad revenue. A departmental briefing note at the time stated, “Its view is that the business model for TV is broken.”
The document, CBC/Radio-Canada: Moving Forward, described the network’s shift from a “public broadcaster” to a “public media company.”
Since then, federal funding for the CBC has increased from $1 billion to $1.4 billion annually under the current government.
