For years, conservative Canadians have felt frustrated with the blatantly left-leaning reporting and content covered by our national taxpayer-funded broadcaster, the CBC..But the latest blunder, involving Premier Danielle Smith, may have sealed public perception of the broadcaster once and for all for most Albertans and potentially, many other Canadians..The growing backlash against the broadcaster can be witnessed at any given Pierre Poilievre rally — where the federal leader of the Conservative Party decries the CBC’s relevancy and promises to defund them once and for all, inciting raucous cheers from his crowds..Well, Mr. Poilievre, we here at Alberta Proud agree. The time has come to end the biased, antiquated CBC and pull the funding pin. Let them learn to fight fairly and earn their place in media like independent media does… which seems to be serving Albertans — indeed all Canadians — quite well..A petition launched by Alberta Proud earlier this week calling on Albertans to hold Poilievre to account to defund the CBC has gained such traction, that it is now clear we have tapped into how the average Albertan feels..We have all heard past promises to defund the CBC. But, recent events that appear to be election interference here in Alberta have solidified things: Albertans, and hopefully the majority of Canadians, want Poilievre’s actions to speak louder than words, should he be successful in the next federal election..Last week, we learned that the CBC’s months-long witch hunt of Premier Danielle Smith and the UCP party had come to an end — and it was not because the CBC’s journalistic research proved their claim that the premier or her staff had sent emails that interfered with criminal prosecution..Rather, it came to a sudden halt when they finally admitted ‘regret’ over the accusations because the emails simply did not exist..Never existed?! Does that mean the reporter and the CBC were lying? Because all signs point to just that, and we are patiently waiting for a reasonable, alternative explanation..The irony of such an incriminating news story taking place in the weeks leading up to a neck-and-neck provincial election is rather unbelievable … because no reasonable person can look at how this went down and find the timing a coincidence..Time and again we have seen irrefutable evidence that the CBC aligns too closely with the Liberal Party — from the content they promote to their long history of hiring and promoting journalists and commentators who are aligned with the Liberals or other progressive causes — including in some cases the Trudeau Foundation!.And for the reporters who have grown weary of the woke narrative? It doesn’t look like there’s a place for them at the CBC. Just look at journalist Tara Henley, who quit working for the broadcaster back in January of 2022 because of their ‘woke, radical political agenda.’.Each year, the CBC receives more than $1 billion in taxpayer funding through the federal government. Yet their declining revenues, including a 25% drop in private sector advertising since they lost their Hockey Night in Canada contract, clearly indicates they are increasingly irrelevant to viewers..The very concept of federal funding of media creates a conflict of interest and absence of journalistic accountability. The government bailouts for legacy media have generally led to growing mistrust in the public and soaring success for independent media..“The Libs and CBC have the same interests, live in the same neighbourhoods, share the same values (and prejudices,” wrote columnist Lorne Gunter recently, highlighting Canadian Taxpayer Federation data revealing that since the Liberals have been in power circa 2015, almost $300M/year has been added to the CBC’s general budget and allowances have been made to double the number of employees making over $100K a year, from over 400 to more than 900..With alliances and allegiances to the Liberals so clear, one has to ask — if there is a Conservative return to power in the next federal election, why would any government that proclaims itself built on fiscally-conservative values even contemplate continued funding to the CBC?.Albertans are waiting (impatiently) for an answer..Lindsay Wilson is President of Alberta Proud
