On Friday, an article about the CBC lockout that began on august 15 appeared in the Toronto Star. Written by Susan Delacourt and entitled, "CBC lockout shakes Liberals", the piece described the reaction of some the governing Liberals to Canadians being deprived of the much beloved Mother Corp.
MP Sarmite Bulte, the parliamentary secretary for heritage, and who was referred affectionately to by Delacourt as "Sam", was quoted as saying "I’m sick about this. I’ve said to CBC management… I can’t defend you any more." Bulte further added, "People are angry. People are so angry". The article goes on to state that MPs in certain areas have received a high volume of complaints and the complaints are so numerous that the government may have to deviate from its arms length position and do something.
a poll - one of those things that the Liberals use to dictate their almost every move, showed that only about 10 percent of Canadians found the lockout to be a serious inconvenience. So why is Sam getting so angry and why are the Liberals now so ready to act to end the six week labour dispute?
Well, you can bet that it’s not because of complaints by Canadians. The Libs don’t pay much attention to complaints; after why should they listen to the people? What’s the downside? Canada will end up with a Prime Minister Harper or a Prime Minister Layton? Not much chance. When people demand lower gas prices through a reduction in federal taxes, especially the 1.5 cent a litre charge to fight deficits that have not been around for eight years, the government sneers at them. and when Torontonians demand action to try and stem the increasing gun violence, they are lectured by Justice Minister Irwin Cotler not to expect any "quick fixes". This government is just not in the habit of listening to the concerns of Canadians. So there must be some reason why having Peter Mansbridge back on the screen is more important to the Liberals than a bunch of black guys getting blown away.
It is no coincidence that Delacourt’s article about the Liberals being "shaken" by the lockout appeared on the Friday before Parliament is set to reconvene. as we all know, the CBC represents and promotes "Canadian values" as does Paul Martin. and "Canadian values" are defined as being the values of the Liberal Party. Unlike his predecessors, Paul Martin, in a moment of great candour, went so far as to say that anyone in this country who does not subscribe to the Liberal/CBC set of values is "un-Canadian". When Parliament resumes sitting, the Liberals need the network up and running more than Canadians need it. Martin has managed to hang on to the reigns of power for over a year without having a majority government; but the real issue is, can he survive without Julie Van Dusen?
The comments that were made by Sarmite Bulte and quoted in the Toronto Star are more proof positive that Liberals only act or contemplate acting when it’s in their interests to do so. They couldn’t care less what Canadians want or what is in the best interests of Canadians.
Even the thought of the government falling and going into an election without the CBC must be too much for the Liberals to bear. No wonder Sam’s sick.