NDP, Bloc accuse Poilievre of threatening French, Quebec culture with stance on CBC

Send this page to someone via emailOTTAWA — Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Pierre Poilievre’s criticisms of the CBC amount to an attack on Canadian culture by the Conservative leader — and Quebec and francophone culture, in particular. The Conservative leader has suggested in media interviews that while he believes in defunding the CBC, he sees the value in its French-language programming — but along with the NDP, the Bloc Québécois is raising concerns about that approach. Earlier in the day, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said on Twitter that Poilievre is playing a risky ideological game, and that he’s openly threatening French and access to information and the arts. The federal Conservatives currently hold nine out of 78 federal seats in Quebec, while the governing Liberals boast 34 and another 32 belong to the Bloc. Poilievre, a fluent French speaker, has visited Quebec several times since becoming Conservative leader.