Poilievre’s pitch to defund CBC, keep French services would require change in law

OTTAWA - If Pierre Poilievre wants to “defund the CBC” while maintaining its French-language programming, he’ll have to overhaul the country’s broadcasting law in order to do it. Past Conservative leaders have also taken aim at the CBC, which receives its share of public money through Parliament when MPs vote on its federal budget. Poilievre’s pitch to strip the CBC of its public funding is widely popular among Conservatives and earned loud cheers from the crowds who packed rooms to see him during last year’s leadership campaign. In 2021-22, the CBC received more than $1.2 billion in government funding, a decrease from about $1.4 billion in 2020-21. It also draws a distinction between “government” and “public” funding because of the fact that the money it receives is granted through a vote made in Parliament.