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Top Harper official defends CBC ad policies against boycott accusations from Quebecor
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Daily Brew
There's a man-bites-dog quality to this story but it's true: A senior official in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government is defending the CBC, even praising its policies, against attacks from Sun Media, the Conservative government's staunchest media supporter.
The Canadian Press has acquired an internal memo by Wayne Wouters, powerful clerk of the Privy Council, under the Access to Information Act that clears the public broadcaster of boycotting Sun Media in its advertising contracts.
Sun Media's parent company, Quebecor Inc., and owner Pierre Karl Peladeau have been feuding for years with the CBC, which Peladeau believes provides unfair, taxpayer-funded competition for private broadcasters like him.
Sun outlets have been demanding access to CBC documents that they argue should be available under access legislation but which the CBC refuses to hand over, saying they would reveal competitive business information. The dispute has spilled over into legal challenges and acrimonious hearings before a parliamentary committee.
Peladeau claims the CBC is boycotting Sun newspapers in its program advertising to punish Quebecor for its criticism of the broadcaster's spending and refusal to reveal its internal workings.
"Such an attack on fundamental rights held dear by Canadians is all the more deplorable for having been conducted by a Crown corporation that is supposed to be accountable to Canadians," Peladeau wrote to CBC president Hubert Lacroix last month.
The Canadian Press reports Peladeau also wrote directly to Harper last May about "discriminatory practice that serves no one but the vindictive interest of CBC/Radio-Canada's leadership."
But in a Sept. 7 memo to Harper, Wouters concludes "there is no policy at CBC/RC that systematically excludes Quebecor publications or media from CBC/RC's purchases of promotional space."
On the contrary, Wouters' memo goes on to praise the CBC's advertising and marketing decisions.
"In absolute and relative terms, the CBC/RC is reaching more Canadians across more platforms than at any time in their history," says the memo.
"One of the key factors contributing to this strong performance has been an effective approach to advertising and marketing."
The Canadian Press story noted the memo contrasts sharply with the grilling Lacroix received around the same time from a Commons committee reviewing Peladeau's allegations.
Harper's spokesman would not comment on the dispute.
"The government does, however, expect CBC/Radio-Canada to operate in an impartial and transparent manner when using taxpayer funds," said Andrew MacDougall.
However, Quebecor corporate affairs vice-president Serge Sasseville said he was "very surprised" by what the memo says, adding Harper's officials never contacted the company for information.
Lacroix told the Toronto Star's editorial board recently that he doesn't believe Quebecor and Harper's Conservatives have ganged up on the CBC.
"We had the idea of sending them a bill … we've given them a lot of content," Lacroix joked.
Lacroix presented a survey detailing the extent of Sun Media's negative coverage of the CBC since September 2009. It spiked dramatically in December 2010, when its Sun News TV network began operating.
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