Seven news media experts have been chosen to advise Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge as she revamps the role of CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster.
For years, the federal Liberals have pledged to modernize CBC’s mandate to align with the evolving needs of Canadians. This commitment persists despite challenges in the news industry, characterized by job reductions and dwindling advertising revenue, which includes recent cutbacks at the public broadcaster.
St-Onge expressed her desire for the new mandate to address information gaps in local regions, maintain a robust online presence, invest in international reporting, and ensure support for minority-language communities.
In a year-end interview in 2023 with The Canadian Press, St-Onge emphasized the importance of updating the mandate now to safeguard against potential changes in government.
“The Liberal government believes a strong public broadcaster strengthens democracy and promises to keep supporting it,” she said, adding, “I believe a Conservative government would destroy it.”
The Opposition Conservatives have previously called to defund CBC and repurpose its Toronto-based headquarters into housing, even launching a petition for the public to sign, though the vote has failed to pass on party level last September.
Canadian Heritage stated that the newly established group will primarily offer policy advice on CBC/Radio-Canada’s governance and funding.
The department highlighted that consultations on the CBC’s mandate have already been conducted with the general public.
The newly appointed advisory committee will aid St-Onge in charting a forward path, leveraging the diverse perspectives and experiences of its members to modernize the public broadcaster.
The advisory committee comprises Marie-Philippe Bouchard, CEO of TV5 Québec Canada; Jesse Wente, chair of the Canada Council for the Arts and founding executive director of the Indigenous Screen Office; Jennifer McGuire, managing director of Pink Triangle Press; David Skok, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Logic (an independent media startup); Mike Ananny, associate professor of communication and journalism at the University of Southern California Annenberg; Loc Dao, executive director of DigiBC; and Catalina Briceno, professor at Université du Québec à Montréal.