Friends of the CBC: Why we urgently need to raise $32,000

From Ian Morrison, Friends of the CBC:

Using phony surveys and trumped-up petitions, the Conservatives are attempting to show that Canadians do not support the CBC.

In the last few days, I have seen these surveys with my own eyes. Supporters of public broadcasting need to respond, and quickly.

I am writing to ask for your help.

Just today, I saw that Rob Anders, the Conservative MP for Calgary West, is circulating an online petition to the House of Commons calling on the Harper government to “end public funding of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation”

On top of this, Irving R. Gerstein, Chair of the Conservative Fund Canada has sent a “National Critical Issues Survey” to financial supporters. Gerstein’s survey contains only ten questions.

Question 8 reads “In recent years, CBC funding has exceeded a billion dollars per year. Do you think taxpayers receive good value or bad value from the CBC?”

Gerstein writes: “I would like to report to our caucus on where you stand on some key issues facing Canada”. He adds: “This survey is very, very important to our legislative planning”.

So, Prime Minister Harper’s closest colleague in the Conservative Party thinks that CBC funding is a “critical issue” – one of the top ten questions facing Parliament in the coming session.

Another Conservative, Ed Holder, the MP for London West’s website currently has an online questionnaire: “Do you believe taxpayers should continue to provide funding to CBC Radio?”

These kinds of phony public opinion soundings stand in sharp contrast to Harper’s Heritage Minister James Moore who, just four months ago said: “We believe in the national public broadcaster. We have said that we will maintain or increase support for the CBC. That is our platform and we have said that before and we will commit to that”.

You and I have to make sure that Harper and his caucus hear loud and clear from Canadians that they care deeply and unequivocally about their CBC.

We urgently need to raise $32,000 to cover the cost of public opinion research to answer Gerstein’s question and establish, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the popularity of CBC with 34 million Canadians.

Please help us deliver a strong message to the Prime Minister that Canadians value public broadcasting. Harper needs to hear the answer to Gerstein’s question – not just from Conservative Party funders – but also from everyday Canadians of all political stripes.

Can we count on your support?

In return for your investment in FRIENDS’ public opinion research, I will brief you on the results and keep you in the loop on our crucially important campaign to defend Canadian public broadcasting in the weeks ahead.