The federal parties of Liberal, New Democrat, and Bloc Quebecois voted against a motion from the Conservative Party that aimed to compel CBC executives to testify at a public accounts committee meeting. The motion was related to the CBC’s instruction to reporters not to call Hamas a terrorist organization. Tory Deputy Leader MP Melissa Lantsman and Rachel Thomas, shadow minister for Canadian Heritage, criticized the “Liberal-NDP Coalition” for shutting down testimony on the CBC’s coverage of Hamas terrorists.
The Conservatives stated that the Liberal-NDP government must stop protecting the CBC’s journalistic incompetence and allow them to demand answers from the CBC’s senior leadership. They accused the CBC of failing Canadians by protecting Hamas in the court of public opinion and demanded that the CBC provide answers for their editorial stance.
The Tories highlighted that despite the brutal crimes committed by Hamas, the CBC has advised its journalists not to use the word “terrorist” when referring to them. They pointed out that Hamas has been recognized as a terrorist organization by the Government of Canada for over 20 years. They also mentioned a leaked email from CBC Director of Journalistic Standards George Achi, instructing journalists not to say that Gaza has not been occupied by Israel since 2005 and not to refer to anyone as “terrorists.”
Conservatives called for a House of Commons committee investigation into the leaked memo and demanded that reporters refer to members of Hamas as “terrorists” instead of “militants.” They shared images of rocket attacks by Hamas on Israel, civilian casualties, and instances of hostage-taking.
The Conservative motion emphasized that Hamas has been declared a terrorist organization by the Canadian government since 2002 and highlighted the horrific attack against Israel that resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of innocent people.
MP Melissa Lantsman expressed her frustration with the CBC’s stance, stating that if they can’t recognize an organization that commits such heinous acts as terrorists, they don’t deserve taxpayer money. MP Rachel Thomas highlighted that the CBC is a public broadcaster receiving $1.2 billion in taxpayer funds and emphasized the House of Commons’ mandate to review government expenditures. Despite the failed motion, the Conservatives plan to present it again at a heritage committee meeting later in the week.
CBC News editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon published a note defending the CBC’s policy. He clarified that the CBC does not ban the use of the word “terrorist” but requires attribution to governments, officials, authorities, experts, and politicians. He explained that the policy has been in place for decades and is followed by other news organizations like the BBC, Reuters, and The Associated Press.