Liberal Leader Mark Carney said on Friday that his government would provide an initial $150-million annual funding increase to CBC and Radio-Canada as part of a new mandate for the public broadcaster.
“When we compare ourselves to the U.K., France or Germany, we see that our public broadcaster is underfunded,” Carney said in French during a campaign stop in Montreal. “That has to change.”
That initial funding top-up could rise, Carney said.
“We expect that in the coming years, we will continue to increase that funding until it can be compared to that provided by other public broadcasters.”
Carney also said funding of the CBC and Radio-Canada would be made statutory, meaning any changes would have to be approved by Parliament, not just the government’s cabinet.
“Canadians themselves and their entire Parliament must decide on the future of Radio-Canada/CBC — not ideologues,” he said.
A mandate to strengthen local news
Carney said these measures would be part of the development of the broadcaster’s new mandate, which will require a level of long-term funding in line with that of other national public broadcasters.
The proposed mandate would also include strengthening local news with more local bureaus and reporters, and the clear and consistent transmission of life-saving information during emergencies.
CBC received an estimated $1.38-billion in 2024-25.
Carney’s plans for the CBC contrast with those of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Poilievre has said he wants to defund the CBC while maintaining its French-language programming. However, the corporation has said such a move would require the Broadcasting Act, the law outlining its mandate, “to be rewritten.”
The law requires the public broadcaster to provide programming in both French and English, and it does not give the government sway over how resources are allocated to accomplish that.
Responding to a reporter’s question about Carney’s announcement, Poilievre, campaigning in Trois-Rivières, Que., did not specifically address the issue of defunding the CBC. Instead, he said the proposed funding boost is just part of the Liberal government’s overall record of excessive spending.
“And what is Mr. Carney proposing today? With a fourth Liberal term, he will spend even more for CBC and other things,” Poilievre said.
In a statement Friday, CBC spokesperson Eric Wright said the broadcaster will not be commenting on the parties’ positions regarding CBC/Radio-Canada during the election campaign.
