Save the CBC Rally - Calgary April 17, 2009

You are encouraged to bring friends, coworkers, family, etc.

Feel free to come a bit late if you can’t make it at 4 (we expect many folks will be coming from work). That said, the closer to 4 the better, please.

There will be some signs and banners, but you can still bring your own. The key phrase is “Support the CBC”, but other supportive messages are welcome, too.

At 6:30pm participants can head over to Kensington together for "post-rally" drinks. More details TBA.

Please sign the online petition:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_cbc/

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THE POINT OF THE CBC RALLY

The CBC was created from taxpayer money by Canadian citizens. We are standing here today to say that we choose again today to pay for the CBC. Although the CBC had become more self sufficient through its reliance on advertising revenue, there was never an expectation of self sufficiency when the CBC was created. It is not a fair expectation to change that now.

This is not just a cut, not just a shortfall. We want to promote a new dialog between the CBC executive, it’s staff and the federal government. We request for them to sit down and come together on a solution that keeps 800 people employed (as opposed to helping them find work afterwards); a solution that maintains the strong cultural voice of Canada that comes from the CBC through its work (music, documentaries, etc), and a solution to keep local reporting for smaller communities that help them define their own identity.

The CBC gives us an opportunity to create, define and transform our culture, as opposed to having it passed to us from somewhere else; be it Toronto or Hollywood.

The measure that is being imposed on the CBC that resulted in these cuts is solely financial. But the return that the CBC provides to us goes far beyond any metric or ledger. It provides a platform for experimentation, a sounding board for new voices to come out, and it advances our culture through allowing new voices to fail or succeed.

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OUR THREE CONCERNS

1. Jobs.
Currently, the Canadian government is working on packages to save jobs or create jobs in the private sector. However, the current decision at the CBC involves killing 800 jobs. This is the opposite of what Canadian citizens are expecting and requesting.

2. Culture.
The CBC is a touchstone of Canadian culture, the Canadian voice. They are the outlet for culture and news in the smallest communities in Canada. The CBC provides to each community it’s own voice. CBC Radio One in Halifax is completely different from CBC Radio One in Calgary. It gives every community an ability to define itself through the cultural aspects they choose to explore and celebrate. Canada would not be Canada without Hockey Night in Canada or the history that the CBC archives provides. This transcends politics.

3. Local.
We lament the death of local news. It is not in the large, private media firms’ interest to regularly report news in small rural outlets, nor is there an expectation of them to do so. They are cash strapped as well and should focus on what they do best. The Canadian taxpayer has decided that local news from these communities is relevant and important.

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WHAT DO WE WANT?

What is the outcome of the day?
Today is about awareness. We come together today as a show of support for the friends at the CBC that are losing their jobs, as a physical show of support for what the CBC means to Canadian culture and local news.

What do we want the CBC to do?
We request James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage, sit down with the executive of the CBC and their staff to come up with a better solution.

Official Website: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=81965560733