KELOWNA, British Columbia (LifeSiteNews) — Prime Minister Mark Carney dismissed concerns over Liberal legislation preventing news outlets from sharing news on social media, encouraging Canadians to turn to CBC for information.
During an August 5 press conference in Kelowna, British Columbia, Carney disregarded concerns that Bill C-18 limits Canadians’ ability to share news online, especially during crisis situations such as the wildfires. Instead, he declared that Canadians should get their news from the Liberal-funded CBC News.
“Bill C-18 stands in our way to get back onto Facebook and Instagram,” a reporter for Kelowna Now told Carney. “Are the Liberals looking for an alternative or rescinding that so we can get that news back on those important platforms?”
The question was increasingly relevant since Bill C-18 recently hindered local news outlets from sharing important updates regarding British Columbia wildfires.
“One of the roles of CBC/Radio-Canada is to provide unbiased, immediate local information,” Carney responded.
“That’s one of the reasons why we’ve made the commitment to invest and reinforce and actually change the governance of CBC/Radio-Canada,” he continued, “to ensure they are providing those essential services.”
Carney claimed that “this government is a big believer in the value of … local news and the importance of ensuring that that is disseminated as widely and as quickly as possible.”
“So, we will look for all avenues to do that,” he vaguely responded.
Bill C-18 is one of many censorship bills introduced by former as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Passed in June 2023, the legislation aims to compel social media sites to share revenue with certain news outlets, something experts have warned could be the end of independent media.
However, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced it would not pay the fees, and would instead block Canadians from sharing news links on their platforms. Canadians have been blocked from viewing or sharing content since August 2023.
In addition to his refusal to rescind Bill C-18, Carney promoted CBC News as a reliable news source despite the outlet being widely considered an arm of the Liberal Party that receives the vast majority of its funding from the Liberal government.
In January, the watchdog for the CBC ruled that the state-funded outlet expressed a “blatant lack of balance” in its coverage of a Catholic school trustee who opposed the LGBT agenda being foisted on children.
There have also been multiple instances of the outlet pushing what appears to be ideological content, including the creation of pro-LGBT material for kids, tacitly endorsing the gender mutilation of children, promoting euthanasia, and even seeming to justify the burning of mostly Catholic churches throughout the country.
Carney revealed his loyalty to the CBC before he was even elected prime minister. In early April, ahead of the federal election, Carney promised another $150 million in funding for CBC on top of the $1.4 billion the outlet already receives annually.
