Like many of us, I grew up with the CBC as a daily and vital part of my life.
The family would whip up a bowl of popcorn and gather for Hockey Night in Canada.
CBC’s The National was the last thing we watched before heading to bed.
Mr. Dressup. The Beachcombers. The Irish Rovers. These were iconic CBC shows that entertained me in my youth—and gave me a sense of what it meant to be Canadian.
It’s far from perfect—I have my beefs—but I’m not alone in having a sentimental attachment to the CBC. In February, the CCPA commissioned Environics Research to conduct a series of focus group discussions with Canadians to better understand their perceptions of public service broadcasting in general, and CBC/Radio-Canada in specific.
These interviews were conducted in the context of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s “defund the CBC” political slogans.
Key findings
It wasn’t planned this way, but we happened to conduct our focus group research during a unique moment in Canadian history: U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs, economic warfare, and annexing Canada as a “51st state” has heightened Canadians’ sense of national pride.
The CBC/Radio-Canada readily found its way into this expression of pride.
For most participants, the CBC/Radio-Canada was seen as a national icon. At a time when we as a country feel vulnerable and threatened by the U.S., participants valued the CBC-Radio Canada as a reflection of who we are and believe that it’s an institution worth keeping.
In short, there is a lot of love for the CBC/Radio-Canada. The CBC/Radio Canada is a “constant companion” for many of the focus group participants.
“We had a railway 150 years ago to tie Canada together,” said one focus group participant. “CBC is one of those things that ties Canada together.”
“If you wanted to make Canada the 51st state, the first thing you’d have to do is destroy our cultural identity,” said another, citing the CBC as being instrumental to our identity.
“It’s a part of our heritage,” said another. “It’s been there forever and it brought so many important events in our lives.”
If the CBC gets defunded, “might as well burn my books,” said another.
Alan Maitland on the radio telling The Shepherd story at Christmas time. Kim’s Convenience. Reservation Dogs. Schitt’s Creek. Radio in Inuvik. CBC Gem podcasts and documentaries. This is the background to so many Canadians’ lives, even today.
“The content CBC has made in the last five years has been some of the best content,” said one younger participant. “Amazing podcasts that people share around the world because it’s so incredible. Content you won’t get anywhere else. Why would you want to kill the soul of Canadian media?”
“It would be devastating to our country and to the ability to have quality content that is representative of lots of diverse voices and stories from small areas all over the country,” said another.
Aside from enjoying the content, focus group participants saw the CBC/Radio-Canada as an important source of unity.
“I believe it’s essential,” said another younger participant. “It’s cool to see older people’s views on this. Its role should be to unite the country.”
“It’s the one thing that everyone has access to,” said another participant. “It’s the keeper of Canadian culture. It unites us.”
Many focus group participants also saw the CBC/Radio-Canada as a pillar of democracy and equity.
“It’s a watchdog and guardian of our democratic rights,” said one.
“It connects the entire country and people who don’t normally have access get it,” said another.
“Misinformation/disinformation is already a problem in society,” said one. “[Without the CBC it] would spread more rapidly because there’s no way to verify that information against an unbiased source.”
Many participants appreciated CBC coverage of Indigenous Peoples’ stories and issues, as well as stories of people who never get airtime on private networks. They also appreciated how the CBC reflects the diversity of Canadian culture, arts, and music.
Most participants understood the role of the public broadcaster to be at “arm’s length” to the government, to provide service to underserved communities, to provide unbiased news coverage across the country, and to ensure Canadians of all backgrounds see themselves reflected back to them.
Profit motive isn’t a factor, and many participants worried a Canada without the CBC would lead to billionaire-backed media outlets with a slanted point of view that could feed disinformation. In short, they worry what’s happening in the U.S. could happen here. Quebec participants talked about how all news would come from Peladeau and Desmarais if it wasn’t for Radio-Canada.
“I trust what I hear from CBC news more than anyone else,” said one participant. “They’re in it for a different reason.”
“Its #1 priority is to serve the people rather than to serve profits.”
“If CBC fell apart, we would lose Canada. It holds our nation together.”
Perspectives on defunding the CBC
Most participants had heard of the Conservative party’s intention to defund the CBC. Some didn’t believe it will ever come to pass. Some believed it was being said to “rile up their base.”
Overall, participants seemed to believe that the CBC presents mostly unbiased news and adheres to strong journalistic standards.
A number of them worry about more U.S.-style news infiltrating Canadian news networks.
“I think we just have to watch what’s happening in the states and the war on information and data,” said one participant. “The war on information sharing is to allow you to control the narrative. If we don’t hear about inequities, then it doesn’t happen. It’s to control the narrative and to silence your critics.”
“You do need a voice for the smaller towns,” said one. “Everyone deserves a voice.”
Some participants said the CBC sets the standard for unbiased journalism in Canada and worry about a “rapid deterioration” of stands in other news outlets if the CBC were to be defunded.
“People count on CBC. The trust. It would be horrible.”
Focus group participants boiled it down to these key takeaways:
- We need the CBC now more than ever. In the face of U.S. tensions, the CBC/Radio-Canada should be a source of national unity and pride, reflecting the Canadian identity.
2. Billionaire-owned media would hurt democracy and our sense of togetherness.
3. Everyone deserves access to the CBC-Radio Canada. Service in remote and rural communities is especially important to our own democracy.
4. Loss of media needs to be stemmed; CBC should play a role in reducing news deserts.
5. Defunding the CBC would take away jobs in communities that need local news.
6. The CBC/Radio-Canada represent value for money.
There’s room for improvement at the CBC, but the focus group findings were resoundingly in favour of the public broadcaster. In all my years of conducting focus group research—on topics ranging from child care, income inequality, regulation, and taxation—I’ve never heard Canadian pride shine as much as it did in this round of research. The CBC is undoubtedly a Canadian icon.
