"If this [lockout] continues on for too long, there's a lot of people -- I've been reading the press and the letters to the editor -- and there are letters there that are questioning 'do we need a CBC?' Particularly English-language television," (Bev Oda, the Cons' heritage critic) said.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has never said his party would cut funding for the CBC, but has faced criticism from CBC advocates for failing to offer clear support for the public broadcaster in its current form.
The article notes that the Libs, much to their discredit, have done more than their share of damage to the network as well. But the Cons' extreme position should bring the issue to the forefront, and even highlight the cuts the Libs have made - to the benefit of both the NDP, and the general public.
If the CBC isn't seen as a good investment at the moment, that could easily be because it's been cut too far already to completely fulfill its mandate, or because it's been too busy trying to preserve what it has against yet more cuts to look for new ways to reach the public. If a debate on the CBC highlights those possibilities, then we'll be one step closer to having a network dedicated to informing Canadians; if it's purely a question of how much more to keep hacking at the CBC, then we'll be on the way to losing one of our national icons as well as a great source of information.
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