CRTC erred in its decision on Radio-Canada N-word broadcast, court finds

The CRTC's decision ruling against the CBC's French language arm made several mistakes, a federal court ruled. (CBC - image credit)A federal court has ruled that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) erred in its decision penalizing Société Radio-Canada (SRC) for broadcasting the N-word. In particular, the court ruled, the CRTC cited sections of the Broadcasting Act which do not give it the authority to regulate speech on the airwaves. But the Federal Court of Appeal said the CRTC misinterpreted the meaning and spirit of S. 3(1) by citing it in a disciplinary decision. The court said the initial CRTC decision could have cited the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Equitable Portrayal Code, which says broadcasters should avoid derogatory or inappropriate language.