Canuck

  Thursday, 25 August 2005

TheStar.com - Reflections on the CBC strike < 1:42:33 AM>.

This is not a labour disruption.
This is a lockout.
A lockout is a calculated act of aggression, a blunt instrument, the use of economic sanctions against some 5,500 CBC employees who have been doing their jobs for the past year without an agreement.
The CBC says that, with more workers on contract, it will have the flexibility necessary to survive in the modern broadcast environment.
If that is not a lie, it is a lie's first cousin.
The CBC already has the ability to hire workers on contract for pilot shows, special projects and so on. "Flexibility" is code; the CBC really wants to expand its right to dump any producer, associate producer, researcher or host who is hired on contract without the benefit of an explanation.
This just in: The workers aren't the problem.

CBC On The Line - What YOU can do < 1:36:46 AM>.

If you miss your CBC, take a moment to write a letter to your member of Parliament.

Follow the link for more info

< 12:08:41 AM>.

Maybe political realities were such that this mandate was an impossible dream to begin with. But given today's bedlam in the air, with hundreds of TV channels, radio stations and the Internet -- mostly echoing American mores -- a clear, Canadian voice is needed more now than ever before. Otherwise, because of private-sector commercial realities, we'll be culturally overwhelmed by our neighbour to the south.

It may sound childishly naive, but the CBC is not, as some say, a business just like any other. The CBC is more a service than a business. That concept seems to be mislaid in the current firefight. It is, of course, critical to run the CBC with as much efficiency as possible, but, in the end, it is even more important for the CBC to be effective.

A lovely editorial from Knowlton Nash in the Globe today.