April 2, 2009

• Dear friends across Canada,

  Considering that CBC-RADIO-1 is one of the few media connections up here to the rest of Canada....
  
  Our call to save the CBC from drastic budget cuts will be delivered to Parliament tomorrow - let's urgently tell friends and blow past our 100,000 signature goal!
  
  Sign the petition!
  In just 6 days, almost 100,000 of us have come together and signed the petition to Save the CBC and Radio Canada from deeply damaging budget cuts - one of the largest online petitions in Canadian history!

  Tomorrow, MPs from each opposition party have agreed to jointly receive our petition and deliver it in Parliament to the government. While they do, planes will fly over Parliament Hill trailing giant banners that deliver our message and the number of signatures on the petition. We're already getting media calls, and on Saturday we'll be distributing thousands of Save the CBC buttons at the high profile Genie Awards.

  Our message is getting out, but it's only as powerful as the number of people that sign it -- click below to sign if you haven't and let's forward this email to as many friends as possible - let's blow past our 100,000 goal by tomorrow!

  http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_cbc/

  The CBC is vital for Canadian art, culture and identity. These cuts have been forced on it for no good reason - the CBC has asked the government for sensible bridge financing - borrowing against their funding next year to spread the cuts out and make sure vital assets aren't damaged this year. The government has refused because, as we know from numerous past statements from Prime Minister Harper, they have an ideological agenda of opposition to a public broadcaster. They'd like to see the CBC privatized and sold off. With the CBC already forced to get half of its revenue from advertizing (compelling it to carry expensive American TV shows) that process is well underway. Even while the CBC survives in name, it's public character and mission are under attack.

  With enough of a public outcry, we can reverse the government's decision. But even if we don't, a powerful statement is being made, to this government and future ones, that Canadians want the CBC and Radio Canada to survive as public service broadcasters. If enough of us act together now, they'll think twice the next time they look to undermine the CBC, and together we'll form a voice that can empower our national broadcasters to fully return to their precious public service mission.

  With hope and determination,

  Ricken, Lisa-Marie, Laryn and the Avaaz Canada team

  PS - the best group providing information and opportunities to get more deeply involved in this issue is Friends of Canadian Broadcasting - you can see their website here:
  http://www.friends.ca

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  • 2:52 pm
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