Taxpayer-funded CBC will not disclose their legal costs in lawsuit against Conservative Party

The lawsuit filed by the taxpayer-funded broadcaster used private lawyers after suing the Conservatives for using copyright news footage during last year's election cycle.

"Information on any expenditures made in relation to the current civil litigation action against the Conservative Party of Canada has been withheld on the grounds the information constitutes solicitor-client privilege," wrote the Department of Canadian Heritage in a statement tabled in the House of Commons.

The lawyers hired by the CBC were from Stockwoods LLP in Toronto. Rates for Stockwoods' lawyers are not made publicly available, though fees for copyright lawyers typically range from $400 to $700 an hour.

The lawsuit accuses the Conservatives of using CBC footage from YouTube without permission. CBC video is licensed at $45 per second.

"CBC owns the copyright in this material," CBC lawyers told the Federal court. "Selectively editing various news items together to present a sensational and one-sided perspective against one particular political party may leave a viewer with the impression that CBC is biased contrary to its obligations under the Broadcasting Act."

"In the digital age where trust in media is constantly being attacked, and where credible news outlets are regularly accused of bias, this false impression among viewers is particularly damaging to CBC’s reputation as a trusted source of news," wrote CBC lawyers.

On the matter, the Conservative Party said that the lawsuit "would forbid Canadian citizens from using media created by the CBC in the context of political discourse" and that not allowing them to use the footage was against "the fundamental freedom of expression guaranteed by the Canadian Carter Of Rights And Freedoms."