Conservative Leadership candidate Marilyn Gladu has pledged to review the CBC’s mandate, calling the public broadcaster’s coverage of the election “biased”.
Conservative Leadership candidate Marilyn Gladu has pledged to review the CBC’s mandate if she were to become prime minister, calling the public broadcaster’s coverage of the election biased.
“Increasingly, with people being able to stream content, [Canadians] are choosing what they want to watch and we have to let them have their choice, and the CBC mandate should be reviewed,” said Gladu in an interview with The Post Millennial.
Gladu’s pledge to review the CBC’s mandate comes after what the leadership candidate and many Conservatives believe was biased election coverage from the public broadcaster in favour of the Liberal Party of Canada.
“I do think that that is what I saw in the election when I watched the content that was being played. So I think if its taxpayer dollars, it should be non-partisan, objective reporting,” Gladu explained.
“I would conduct a review of their mandate because I believe that at this point the amount of money they’re receiving and the amount of advertising dollars they’re getting as well is making it uncompetitive for others in the industry.”
“We need a fair and competitive playing field and reviewing their mandate and setting those rules in place so that one can bring the freedom of the press to a fair playing field,” Gladu added.
When The Post Millennial asked Gladu whether she would also consider scrapping Justin Trudeau’s controversial media bailout she responded by saying, “Absolutely. This was totally inappropriate, especially in an election year. It gives, at least, the perception that the media is being influenced to kindly reflect the Liberal government—I believe they did.”
In 2019, the Liberal government vowed to spend nearly $600 million in subsidies to media outlets across Canada over five years. Speaking in defence of these subsidies, Finance Minister Bill Morneau stated that the subsidies would “protect the vital role that independent news media play in our democracy and in our communities.”
Conservative leadership candidates, however, have disagreed with Morneau’s defence of these subsidies. Erin O’Toole has also pledged to cancel the media bailout. “If I’m PM, I’ll cancel Trudeau’s media bailout,” said O’Toole on twitter.
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