Public Service Announcement

[grav_ity]

Hello everyone. This won't affect a lot of you, but it will affect some (and heck, it affects peanutbutterer because she loves Being Erica, so you never know).

One of the hilarious side effects of having a Prime Minister who promised transparent governancy and then proceeded to create the most closeted government in Canadian History, is that every time he comes out with something, the media (and/or Jack Layton) dubs it his "Secret Plan". Since I watched The West Wing, I usually can't help but add "To Fight Inflation?", but all joking aside, this secret plan really bites.

In Canada, we have this network called The CBC. Its logo looks like an exploding pizza, and it has been rather desperately trying to modernize itself for most of my life. It is best known for Hockey Night In Canada (football in the summer and once, to no end of amusement during the NHL Lockout, MOVIE Night In Canada). It airs almost entirely Canadian programming, and is home to Canada's Best Newscaster (er, not the one in this icon, though he is pretty awesome too).

It's more than TV, of course. It's French TV. And there are at least six radio stations (three in each language). If you are in a place in Canada where you are out of reach of the CBC, they probably have to ship you daylight by cargo train as well.

And Stephen Harper wants to end it. Not cut it back. Not trim it down. End it. And spend the money "better" on "blockbuster films". (Those being the actual words of our Culture and Heritage minister, which leads me to believe that he does not understand Canadian cinema.)

There's a petition that you can sign. And I assume that Rick Mercer hasn't gotten involved yet, because the numbers are still low (aside: one time a Canadian politician called Stockwell Day proposed that if a certain number of Canadians signed a petition, the government would be forced to discuss it. Mercer promptly got about half the country to sign a petition declaring that Stockwell should change his name to Doris).

I don't usually go in for these things. But even if the CBC only showed hockey (and football...and movies during lockouts), I'd still sign it. It's us, after all. And in my lifetime, it's only gotten better.

Comments

[lone-pyramid.livejournal.com]

I just want it known that I have never voted for Harper or his party. (I think they might boot me out of the teaching profession if I ever did, but that's incidental.)

Dammit, I don't have my Canada icon. *sads*

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Ditto.

[peanutbutterer.livejournal.com]

Oh man. You can get all 10 of the members of the Being Erica fandom behind you on that!

*grumbles*

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

WHAT!?

Meanwhile, the fullblood Americans are pausing and thinking, your government finances your movies?

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

There are massive, massive incentives and tax breaks.

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

On the downside, this results in tons of shitty movies that have to get made to reach the Canadian Quota for Canadian Movies Made About Canada. On the upside, MEN WITH FUCKING BROOMS, DAMMIT! Love that movie.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

It's mostly funnelled towards TV right now. ;)

Also, I want to see The Score, which was made in 2005 for the CBC, but I cannot find it ANYWHERE, and that makes me sad.

[spunknik.livejournal.com]

Oh yes... the Doris Day petition... that was awesome. How much do you want to bet that tomorrow's rant will be on this topic?

In other news, Stephen Harper better keep the CBC on the air for at least one more season so that I can get on Rick Mercer (I have a plan.... and it's AWESOME!).

[emmaorgana.livejournal.com]

But... but... but... where else am I going to watch HNIC and lol constantly at Don Cherry?

One of the best parts about living in Michigan is getting the CBC!

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

But some US states finance movies via tax breaks and the like--say, that Johnny Depp mafia movie from a few years ago that was made in Wisconsin/Illinois. It wouldn't get made today, or at least not on location, as they've gotten rid of all the tax incentives that made the filming popular with the studio.

[colej55.livejournal.com]

I'm not Canadian, but I can sure understand poor decisions. The US has been in a mess since Obama took office and we have drug almost every other nation in the world down with us. It has caused me to become politically active beyond voting - something I never thought that I would do.

Good luck with your petition!

P.S. I have two boxes of stuff for you, but I don't get paid until later this week. I haven't forgotten you or reneged on what I told you I would do. I'm sorry it has taken so long! You'll have Christmas in February!

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Yeah, I guess that makes sense to me (bringing revenue into the area) more than on a federal level. But Canada has health care that wasn't just deemed unconstitutional, so they can pretty much do whatever they want with the rest of their government moneys.

[speedy-leen.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel better, Governments and small-c conservative think tanks have been musing about cutting funding to the CBC for since the mid-1990s at the very least. And, cuts to the CBC happen in small doses, not huge cuts. It would be very dangerous politically for a government to go "well, we're completely done with the CBC!"

From another friend's blog:
"The CBC has had funding cuts, and drastic ones at that, over the past few years. There used to be original programming in the afternoon - now from 1pm to 3pm there are repeats. In the evening there used to be a whole host of good programming. Now, the only original programming in the evening is Ideas and the rest is all repeats. This is from the slow cutting of CBC programs. This is how the CBC ends - slow budget cuts on a yearly basis (which is what his happening now) rather than just "and the CBC is over!" The slow heating of the water around the frog not the dropping the frog in boiling water. Or however that goes."

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know. It's like their thing they trot out every time they want us to look away from something else (like the CRTC thing, for example). I just find it frustrating because...it's the freaking CBC!

[smor.livejournal.com]

I guess there's not much I can say, since my political leanings don't go far beyond "all you people are idiots." But I hope you get to keep your tv station.

[speedy-leen.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised unlimited internet has lasted as long as it has frankly. Unfortunately people don't realize the implications of the download caps for things like Netflicks nor do they notice the conflict of interest that Bell as a company that offers movies on demand has in this bill.

Sigh, at least we are attached to the States so people will continue to see commercials like Netflicks and say "hey why can't I have that". Only then will people care to fight the bill.

[meresy.livejournal.com]

Overlord Sweatervest & Co. will deny it ever seriously crossed their minds, but I intend to be cranky about it anyway.

You will pry the CBC out of my cold, dead hands!