The greatest thing about Canada !

I love CBC radio and television! Sunday's shows reminded me of this basic fact of my life....again. On the early morning show I heard that there was to be a public memorial for Max Ferguson and I was so wishing that I was in Toronto for that. On Monday night on As it Happens they played a brief clip from that celebration...Michael Enright's remarks. I can only hope that the entire event will soon be available to listen to, in its entirety.

Max Ferguson was brilliant..and so darn funny. He is the guy who got me hooked on CBC.
Back in university days, my Dad bought a 2nd car so I could drive to Carleton. Yes, I was spoiled....I should have been taking the bus ....oh well. I don't know why but at home the radio dial was turned to a commercial station while the car radio was on CBC. When I got my license and the priviledge of driving the family car, I became familiar with CBC radio. It was not love at first sight. When I turned on the car, I instantly changed to a commercial station so I could listen to the Beatles or Herman's Hermits or whoever was playing. Gradually I stopped doing that and started listening to the CBC programs. Before long I was hooked. When I had afternoon classes, I remember so many days of laughing like crazy as I drove along, listening to the brilliant, political craziness of Max Fergusen as he lampooned the politicians of the day. I was late to a lot of classes because I simply could not make myself leave the car until his show was finished. I love good comedy but it is not easy to find today. Rick Mercer is one guy who reminds me of Max...both guys being politically savvy, intelligent and funny as hell. I also enjoy Steve Patterson's The Debaters.

Over the years I have enjoyed so much great entertainment, education, life lessons...all from CBC radio. It was my great good fortune to be at home with the kids during the Peter Gzowski years...what a country wide community he created. In the afternoon there was Vicki Gabereau with frequent guest..the hilarious Bill Richardson. I could go one at great length about so many truly outstanding CBC radio and television programs that I have enjoyed, ever since I started driving, but I won't.

What I will say is that CBC is not as great as it once was. How could it be? Their funding has been eroding steadily for many years now. There are numerous reasons to despise, to loathe the Harper government but their gutting of the CBC ranks way up high on my list. Thank goodness there are organizations that are leading the fight to bring this to our attention and to attempt to fight the current plans.

The following is a quote from a recent letter from Friends of Canadian Broadcasting‎.   I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes... The Harper Conservatives have released the policy resolutions that will be considered when delegates to the Conservative Party convention meet in Calgary later this month.  Among the proposals are policies that would ultimately kill CBC funding altogether, converting CBC into a beggar broadcaster and eliminating services Canadians depend on.

Lead Now (leadnow.ca) is another organization, devoted to preserving  Canadian democracy.Here is a part of their current letter.....  That’s why the Harper Conservatives buried a CBC takeover clause in the back pages of the latest Omnibus Budget Bill. The clause will compromise the CBC’s independence by giving the government unprecedented power over the jobs of CBC’s editors and journalists. Last week, Conservative MPs used their majority to pass the Omnibus Budget Bill, Bill C-60, but thanks to the 200,000 Canadians who spread the word about the takeover clause online, we’re ready to fight back and free the CBC from political interference. The horror of a majority government lead by a single minded person like Stephen Harper is that our country is being drastically changed in oh so many ways. Maybe, just maybe, if we support these organizations, we can bring attention to the importance of preserving the CBC, for us.... for all Canadians.