Letter from the editor: The CBC has never been more vital—just not in the way it thinks

By David Skok Jan 18, 2020

Next Tuesday, CBC president Catherine Tait will be speaking at the Canadian Club in Toronto. The sold-out event is the unofficial kick-off of the renewal process for the public broadcaster’s CRTC licence, which is set to expire on August 31.

The CBC is no longer simply a broadcaster. It is a platform for truth in journalism at a time of misinformation, and it is a platform for Canadian culture at a time when global media players have easier access to Canadians than ever.

If we want Canadian culture to exist, we have no greater asset than the CBC.

So why does the corporation remain as polarizing as ever? And how should the CRTC frame the CBC’s mandate for the next five to 10 years?

I’ve been poring over 10 years of the CBC’s annual financial statements, speaking with insiders and rethinking my own relationship with the public broadcaster. (Ed: The financial analysis will be made available to our subscribers in The Logic Council Slack channel).

What I’ve learned surprised me.

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