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I have listened to the CBC most of my life. I have found, in the main, good journalism, a source of information that has for the most part been reliable. The CBC brokered in complete ideas rather than sound bites. The CBC, from my perspective, has always been left-leaning, but tolerably so. What I’ve been hearing of late is unmitigated bias and I am sorry to have been compelled to write this letter.
I am interested in economics, it is a subject that brings
the human condition into sharp relief, as the saying goes, money doesn’t talk,
it screams. When I began contemplating economics, I attended my local library
and read books on the subject, had I stopped there, my perspective on economics
would be very skewed as there was only one school of economics represented there
– demand-side economics. Demand-side economics is typically favoured by those
prone to centralized power and planning. The CBC has become like my library, an
organization only interested in offering varying degrees of half the sorry –
unless you stop it, your credibility as a thought leader will end, your
credibility as journalists will end, your credibility as a truth-tellers will
end and your (OUR) organization will eventually come to an end. I think the CBC
has value, it offers the opportunity for an objective voice – you’ve forfeited that
opportunity and taken up sides.
What compelled me to write this letter is the completely inadequate
way the “Truckers’ Convoy” was covered. The new word of choice from the left
was used liberally, “populists”, code now for non-intellectuals, racists and
ult-right were directed toward the Truckers. CBC programs reporting offering “retrospective
analysis” of the convoy featured Donald Trump early in the program –
intentionally, I believe, to associate the Truckers with Trump-style politics. What
I witnessed in the coverage was very close to pro-government propaganda, rather
than, reporting that brokered in complete ideas. None of the nuances associated
with the issues being raised there were given coverage, the CBC sensationalized
news in a manner that makes CNN and Fox news look unadulterated.
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, particularly the first
15 sections, are the foundation of our rule of law, the guiding principles of
our society generally. The Charter holds as equity, in functional government,
400 years of common law jurisprudence. The Charter holds as equity 1000 years
of spilled blood and toil. The Charter was Championed, firstly, by Diefenbaker
in the Bill of Rights and then, equally as vigorously, by Trudeau senior. The
Charter’s values are expressed in the United Nations charter. The principles in
the Charter emanated from the enlightenment – Lock, Voltaire, Hume and the
like. Voltaire’s famous quote - enlightenment “is removing the bit from their
teeth and the bridle from their head”. The CBC, in failing to in a meaningful
way, address the breath of the issues, Charter issues among them, associated
with Truckers convoy, the CBC seemed to simply be replacing one bridle for
another.
One of the issues that has been present throughout the
pandemic has been the question of medical freedom, the right to the domain over
mind and body. The right to medical choice is enshrined in our legal system.
Normally, our right to medical choice is governed by Section 7 of the Charter –
The right to life, liberty, and security of person. The spirit of Section 7, heavily
distilled is as follows, one can do as they please absent harm to others. The
only means by which this state of liberty can be interrupted is by the
application of fundamental law. The pandemic response was wrought with infringements
and breaches of this right and others – none of which have been covered by the
CBC in a meaningful way. There is no
compelling evidence I can find when contextualizing the pandemic response to
the fair balance test, that justified the response that was undertaken in many
cases.
If one takes a cursory pursual of the world’s countries with
an eye toward personal freedom and prosperity you’ll find a few things in
common amongst the most prosperous and free; the rule of law, a “free” market,
and companionate social policies. These are the elements of Canadian society that
have brought Canadians to the pinnacle of human existence, they should be
supported by a nationally-funded organization like the CBC. I hear anti-capitalist
rhetoric, nihilistic discourse toward the hand that has fed us so generously,
the CBC should stop biting the hand that feeds us and by extension the CBC.
The national narrative has become fragmented, the population
philosophically fragmented – the country is becoming illiberal. The vitriol levelled
against anti-vaxxers is proof positive that scapegoatism is alive and well in
Canada. The CBC tacitly and explicitly supported the persecution of people with
legitimate concerns regarding vaccines. I never heard an hour-long documentary on
the risks associated with the new vaccines, I never heard any discourse on the
treatability of Covid 19 – the government’s policies were supported by the CBC
with all the vigour of the support given to pre-war eugenics programs. I believe vaccines are the most eloquent
medical solution in human history, I seek them out with vigour. In the case of
several of the vaccines associated with Covid 19, new technology was used, their
safety was unknown and to a degree is still being examined – Sweden has stopped
short of giving them to children, I have yet to hear the CBC examine that
decision in depth.
The CBC as a public broadcaster should be working to
identify the core elements of our nation’s success, understanding the core
elements of our country’s values and principles so purposely and effectively
expressed in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms and then offer programming that supports
a unified narrative on the core elements of our federation. The job of every
citizen of Canada, every institution and the CBC is to protect and preserve the
values expressed in the Charter. The CBC and many others are wallowing in apathy
and, in the minutia, while, insidiously, our freedoms are being taken from us one
concession at a time.
Our system, like the CBC, is flawed – it would be a shame to
lose either of them in my view. This is a friend talking, your present course
of action is sowing the seeds of your own demise.
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