Liberal Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge has proposed nearly doubling the CBC's per citizen funding in addition to installing government funding of the outlet as a permanent part of the Canadian budget.
OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) -- Liberals are suggesting nearly doubling the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's per citizen federal funding, alleging the outlet is essential amid election uncertainty and U.S. "disinformation."
During a February 20 press conference, Liberal Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge proposed nearly doubling the CBC's per citizen funding in addition to installing government funding of the outlet as a permanent part of the Canadian budget.
“CBC/Radio-Canada is more than a broadcaster — it is a pillar of our cultural identity and a cornerstone of our sovereignty,” she said. “Now more than ever, it is a national security issue.”
The proposed payouts would increase payments to the CBC from $33 to $62 per person, meaning that each Canadian would be paying $62 to fund the CBC regardless of if they read or watch the outlet's content.
“The CBC is a pillar of our democracy, and we need a strong public broadcaster to ensure Canadians have access to reliable news and Canadian stories,” St-Onge argued.
"And I don't think the United States should be our reference in terms of how you should support a public broadcaster," she continued, warning that defunding the national “treasure” would be to the benefit of American social media “billionaires.”
Notably, the proposed funding increase is being pushed just months before Canadians hope to be on their way to the polls to elect a new prime minister, leading some to speculate that it is an attempt to encourage the CBC to report favorably on the Liberal Party.
The increased government subsidies also come after an October report found that the CBC’s advertising revenue dropped nearly 10 percent last year.
Furthermore, the CBC’s own quarterly report found that its network audience share is only 1.7% of the population.
Massive media subsidies have been a cornerstone of the Liberals despite legacy media's declining popularity.
Beginning in 2019, Parliament changed the Income Tax Act to give yearly rebates of 25 percent for each news employee in cabinet-approved media outlets earning up to $55,000 a year to a maximum of $13,750.
The Department of Canadian Heritage since admitted that the payouts are not even sufficient to keep legacy media outlets running and recommended that the rebates be doubled to a maximum of $29,750 annually.
Last November, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau again announced increased payouts for legacy media outlets that coincide with the leadup to the 2025 election. The subsidies are expected to cost taxpayers $129 million over the next few years.
That amount to the CBC is in addition to massive media payouts that already make up roughly 70 percent of its operating budget and total more than $1 billion annually.
Critics, including Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, have long accused the funding of the CBC by the Liberals of leading to bias in reporting.
Indeed, there have been multiple instances of the CBC pushing what appears to be ideological content largely in line with the Liberal Party's platform, including the creation of pro-LGBT material for kids, tacitly endorsing the gender mutilation of children, promoting euthanasia, and even seeming to justify the burning of mostly Catholic churches throughout the country.
Furthermore, in October, St-Onge’s own department admitted that federally funded media outlets buy “social cohesion."
