Politicians lend support to Aljazeera English

As the June 8th deadline for comments on the proposed distribution of Al Jazeera English on cable approaches, NDP leader Jack Layton, MPs Paul Dewar and Libby Davies, senators Hugh Segal and Marcel Prud’homme have lent their support for the 24-hour news channel but Conservative and Liberal politicians, with the exception of Segal, were conspicuously absent from the list. In letters sent to the CRTC, NDP politicians Layton and Davies all emphasized that AJE should be allowed on cable because the channel espouses multiculturalism which is a value embraced by Canadians. “Multiculturalism is a value that is close to the hearts of many Canadians, including those who have migrated to this country from abroad. AJE is a channel that reports from those places in the world that rarely get attention from mainstream news services, like Africa, Asia, South America and throughout the global south?”, wrote Layton. Davies, an NDP MP representing Vancouver East said “Canadians deserve a news source that not only reflects the greater world around them but also the communities that they live in.” “I am sure you know, but as well as giving Canadians new insights into the world around them, AJE has committed to opening a Canadian bureau, and giving the world a new window into Canada,” she said. Segal, the lone Tory senator to voice support for AJE, said allowing the 24-hour news channel carriage on BDUs is a reflection of freedom of expression. “It is important to us because so many Canadians have immigrated to this country from abroad in search of the broader freedom, freedom of the press provides.” Prud’homme, an independent senator said he supports AJE’s addition to cable because a multiplicity of broadcast voices enhances democracy. Earlier on May 14, in a debate in the senate on Al Jazeera, Prud’homme said the free flow of information is important for democracy. “Enlightened Canadians may or may not agree with the content of certain reports, but is that not true of all television networks. We need to let popular wisdom take its course. The government is not in the censorship business,” he said. AJE’s application for addition to cable is currently before the CRTC. The network is fighting to be included in the Lists of Eligible Satellite Services. Ethnic Channels Group Ltd, AJE’s sponsor in Canada, has said that if the CRTC approves the application, the network will enter into negotiations with BDUs.

Politicians lend support to Aljazeera English

Brief | June 3, 2009

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