May’s court bid fails; Green Party promises CBC funding
Elizabeth May’s bid to obtain a court order demanding the Canadian broadcasters consortium allow her to participate in next week’s leaders’ debate has failed. Meanwhile, May hasn’t let the consortium’s cold shoulder stop her from promising a little love to the industry.
Elizabeth May’s bid to obtain a court order demanding the Canadian broadcasters consortium allow her to participate in next week’s leaders’ debate has failed.
Federal Court Justice Marc Nadon refused to make the emergency ruling April 5th, saying there was not enough time for the court “to perform its duty in a satisfactory manner.”
The Globe and Mail‘s Gloria Galloway interviewed May shortly after the decision. When Galloway asked May what argument was made in court by the consortium of broadcasters to keep her out of the debate, May responded:
“The lawyer for the consortium ignored all the Charter arguments and all of the democracy arguments. The lawyer for the consortium did say,’if Elizabeth May was included in the debates, other leaders might not participate and then there would be no debates at all.'”
May is now calling on the other leaders to step up and tell the consortium that they won’t participate in the debate unless she can join.
Meanwhile, May hasn’t let the Canadian broadcasters consortium’s cold shoulder stop her from promising a little love to the industry. May recently announced her platform will include a three-year investment in the CBC: $100 million in 2011-2012, $150 million in 2012-2013, and $200 million in 2013-2014.
“Concentration in Canadian media, corporate control of news content, slashing of local news content, and the slow funding starvation of our national broadcaster — these are issues the corporate TV executives would rather not see come up in this election,” says May in a release.
“In the past three decades, all across Canada, our newsrooms have been gutted, quality local coverage has dwindled to almost nothing, and the executives of massive media empires decide what stories Canadians can and cannot hear.”
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