By Canadian Press

CBC head defends coverage after Scheer suggests too much focus on U.S. politics

May 30, 2019 | 3:11 PM

OTTAWA — The CEO of the CBC is defending its coverage of American politics after Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer suggested the public broadcaster places too much emphasis on the United States and should focus more on Canadian stories.

Appearing before a committee of MPs today, Catherine Tait was asked by Liberal MP Wayne Long to respond to Scheer’s comments, which he says he found concerning.

Tait says the CBC’s primary focus is local, but that it’s important to also cover news from around the world so Canadians can see how international events could affect their lives in Canada.

Scheer told The Canadian Press earlier this week that if he is elected prime minister, he would like to scrutinize the national public broadcaster to ensure the CBC tells enough Canadian stories.

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Tait stresses the importance of the CBC remaining independent of government or politics, calling this the key difference between a public broadcaster and state-run media.

Tait also says the Crown corporation’s revenues have been declining by $20 million a year, despite a major cash infusion from the Trudeau government — the result of government funding not being tied to inflation coupled with a decline in advertising and subscription revenues.

The Canadian Press