More and more voices are being raised against the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)’s recent censure of Radio-Canada for having used the “n-word” several times in a radio column. After the many calls from the journalistic community to challenge the decision, it is the turn of the political class to go to the front by directly questioning the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
“This CRTC decision is a serious attack on freedom of expression. We will follow the next steps with interest, whether it will go to judicial review. We stand in solidarity with the representatives of the media affected by this decision, ”wrote the Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy, on her Twitter account on Monday. His cabinet told the To have to that “official correspondence will be sent shortly to the minister [du Patrimoine canadien, Pablo] Rodriguez to highlight the important issues raised by this decision.
Remember that last week, the CRTC – which regulates electronic media in the country – demanded a public apology from Radio-Canada, blaming the use of the “n-word” four times in an exchange between the host Annie Desrochers and columnist Simon Jodoin on the show 15-18 of August 17, 2020. Both were then discussing the controversy of the hour – namely the suspension of a professor from the University of Ottawa who had used the “word in n” in a teaching context – and had quoted the test white niggers of america by Pierre Vallieres.
Just as disconcerted by the turn of events, the Bloc Québécois also decided to question Minister Rodriguez on Monday, asking him to intervene quickly in this file. “I ask you to call the CRTC to order and revoke this ill-founded decision. And why not organize a public consultation on the issue? This is a constructive idea that could lead to interesting exchanges and, ultimately, best practices to put in place among our broadcasters! wrote Martin Champoux, Bloc Québécois MP for Drummond and party spokesperson for heritage, in a letter published in Quebecor media.
“The CRTC’s primary mandate is to ensure that the broadcasting law is properly applied. However, I have the impression that the principles of freedom of expression and journalistic independence, enshrined in the regulations, have not been defended and rather set aside at the cost of pressure or social movement. , he added in an interview.
“It must be understood that this word is heavy with meaning and that its use is deeply hurtful for black Canadians. We must also remember that such a decision must take into account the freedom of the press, which is fundamental to our democracy and must always be protected”, commented Minister Pablo Rodriguez, by email, insisting on the need to “respect and preserve » the independence of the public broadcaster and the CRTC.
He also recalled that Radio-Canada has 30 days to appeal the decision to the courts if it wishes. “We will therefore not comment further,” he added, without taking a clear position.
For its part, the Crown corporation says it has “taken note of the various opinions raised by the CRTC’s decision”, but wants to take “the time necessary to study [la décision] and subsequent actions to be taken.
Common front against the CRTC
Since the publication of the CRTC’s reprimand, the journalistic community has continued to make public statements denouncing the organization’s decision and sometimes asking senior management, sometimes Radio-Canada’s Board of Directors not to excuse.
Former ombudsmen and former news directors at Radio-Canada kicked off the ball on Friday, supported Monday by some fifty headliners from the broadcaster. A third open letter, published in our pages on Tuesday, agrees with them.
“It is up to Radio-Canada’s editorial management alone to define independently how to deal with subjects according to its own editorial policy and journalistic standards and practices. […] Faced with this interference from the CRTC, it is important to appeal this decision to have the higher courts decide on this question of democratic interest, beyond the context of the use of the n-word”, insists about fifty professors. , organizations, journalists and hosts from various Quebec media.
They fear, like their colleagues, that this decision will create a precedent and allow the CRTC to judge in the future the content broadcast on the air, both on Radio-Canada and in the private media regulated by the CRTC. A concern exacerbated by the fact that the federal body is set to gain in importance with the reform of the Trudeau government’s Broadcasting Act, which would also place digital media under its jurisdiction.
Traditionally in Quebec, it is more up to the Press Council, a symbolic court, to judge the good journalistic practices of the media. The public broadcaster even has its own ombudsman. Moreover, the latter had ruled in 2020 that the extract questioned by the CRTC complied with the Journalistic Standards and Practices of Radio-Canada.
“It was the CRTC that forced CBC / Radio-Canada 30 years ago to create ombudsmen [pour] stop playing police and handle content complaints. And today, all of a sudden, the CRTC would like to give its opinion again. It’s a bit special, ”judge Guy Gendron, ex-ombudsman of Radio-Canada from 2016 to 2021.
In recent years, the CRTC has only very rarely ventured into this area. In 2004, however, during the trial between host Jeff Fillion and Sophie Chiasson, he did not hesitate to withdraw CHOI Radio X’s license for the controversial remarks regularly made on this antenna. After a long saga, the Quebec station was finally able to keep its license by changing owners.
“The CRTC was less severe with junk radios than with Radio-Canada. André Arthur said things about blacks that are much worse than quoting Pierre Vallières’ book. And yet, he was never bothered by the CRTC,” said Marc-François Bernier, professor of journalism ethics at the University of Ottawa.