Posts from — April 2009

The September 11, 2001 attack on the USA could have been addressed in many ways. In order to prevent further attacks the George W Bush and his administation aggressively took charge and set in motion a series of events that will be debated for years to come.
The government reacted by
1. Declaring a ‘War on Terror’ and creating an ‘Axis of Evil.’
2. Ignoring the American Constitution and the Geneva Conventions by torturing prisoners for information and holding prisoners for years without trial.
4. Alienating the Middle East.
5. Creating the image of Islam as a religion to be wary of.
6. Building a Home Land Security system that is very protective and often unwelcoming to foreigners. 
7. Perpetuating a culture of fear among its population.
8. Fabricating a lie in order to invade a foreign country, Iraq and there by securing a sourse of oil and having a presence in the Middle East.
Many would say that this approach has worked. There have not been any further attacks in the United States and therefore the ends makes the means acceptable. This line of reasoning is supported by Americas overwhelming military power.
Others take the position that this approach has made the US even more vulnerable and that the long term effect on the States will be negative. The US has lost its moral compass and the only way to prove to the world that the States has credibility is to prosecute those who have broken the law.
By releasing classified information last month confirming that the US used torture, the Obama administration has officially tabled the debate.
Let’s see how it plays out.

Thunder Bay’s CBC has been slated to lose 4 to 6 staff positions. Speculation has it that the real agenda is to have the station closed and amalgamated with Sudbury. It looks like we are about to get the short end of the stick again. Not only are our privately owned forest and woodland operations being closed but now the publicly operated services are also being targeted.  The Federal government is putting billions of dollars into private business in order to stimulate employment while laying off workers it has the direct ability to employ. In this economic climate where so many are losing their jos it would make sense to create jobs in the CBC, not eliminate them.

One would think that Hubert Lacroix, CEO and President of CBC Radio would recognize the value of rural CBC stations. French Canadians are in a continuing struggle to have a voice in a predominantly English Canada much the same as rural Canadians are in a continuing struggle to have a voice in an increasingly urban society. Big cities may be where the majority of the people are but the mandate of a publically funded national radio is to be the voice of all Canadians.  Shame on you Mr. Lacroix for forgetting this!

One of the virtues of CBC radio is the depth and scope of the programming. In the 4.5 hours of local programming we get in the Northwest we hear about what is happening around the region. The rest of the day we learn about what is happening in Canada and the rest of the world. What a great combination. Take away the local programming and you leave CBC vulnerable as it is no longer the voice of all Canadians. It then becomes the voice of the majority who live in the cities and they are much more apt to listen to one of the many other stations available to them. I would suggest that CBCs grass roots rural supporters are more important to public broadcasting then our numbers suggest and when you forsake this part of the listenership you tread on dangerous grounds. Unless getting rid of the CBC is the hidden agenda of Mr. Lacroix and the Conservative government? It’s not a big stretch to say that Mr. Harper and his ministers are pretty sensitive to criticism and that like health care perhaps they believe our national radio should be privatized. But that’s a discussion for another day.

If you are concerned about our local staff and our public broadcaster please take a minute and write to

Hubert T. Lacroix

President and CEO CBC

P.O. Box 6000

Montreal, Quebec, M3C 3A8

or follow the links at http://saveyourcbc.com/ and send an email