Juno News - CBC faces questions on DEI hiring and temporary foreign workers

00:00:00.000 GROCERY PRICES CONTINUE TO RISE, INCREASING AT A HIGHER RATE THAN THE TARGETS SENT BY THE

00:00:09.280 BANK OF CANADA. CALGARY HAS A NEW MAYOR WHO WENT BY A SLIM MARGIN, DEPOSING INCUMBENT MAYOR

00:00:14.480 CHIOTI GONDEX FOR YOUR RUN. CBC EXECUTIVES FACED HARSH CRITICISM OVER THEIR DEI POLICIES AND

00:00:21.840 FOREIGN WORKER HIRING DURING A HERITAGE COMMITTEE MEETING. HELLO CANADA, IT'S WEDNESDAY,

00:00:26.160 OCTOBER 22ND, AND THIS IS THE TRUE NORTH DAILY BRIEF. I'M ISAAC LAMORU. I'M THE OLD SULTAN.

00:00:31.440 WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED WITH ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW.

00:00:34.080 LET'S DISCUSS THE TOP STORIES OF THE DAY AND THE TRUE NORTH EXCLUSIVES YOU WON'T HEAR ANYWHERE ELSE.

00:00:42.000 CANADIANS FELT THE PINCH AT THE GROCERY STORE LAST MONTH AS FOOD PRICES CONTINUED TO CLIMB,

00:00:46.640 CONTRIBUTING TO A 2.4% ANNUAL INCREASE IN THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR SEPTEMBER.

00:00:51.680 ECONOMISTS HAD EXPECTED A 2.2% INCREASE.

00:00:55.280 GROCERY PRICES ROSE 4% YEAR-OVER-YEAR IN SEPTEMBER, FOLLOWING A 3.5% INCREASE IN AUGUST,

00:01:00.960 ACCORDING TO STATISTICS CANADA'S LATEST REPORT.

00:01:03.600 ON TUESDAY, CONSERVATIVE LEADER PIERRE PALIEV SAID QUOTE,

00:01:06.480 INFLATION JUMPS AGAIN WITH ALL FOUR MEASURES ABOVE THE BANK OF CANADA'S TARGET.

00:01:10.880 FOOD PRICES ARE RISING AT TWICE THEIR BENCHMARK.

00:01:13.360 THE COST OF CARNEY'S INFLATIONARY DEFICITS IS HIGHER PRICES FOR HEATING, EATING AND HOUSING.

00:01:18.480 THIS RAPID PRICE GROWTH WAS DRIVEN BY INCREASES IN FRESH VEGETABLES, SUGAR AND CONFECTIONARY.

00:01:24.160 THE REPORT STATED QUOTE,

00:01:26.080 YEAR-OVER-YEAR GROCERY PRICE INFLATION HAS GENERALLY TRENDED UPWARD SINCE ITS MOST RECENT LOW IN APRIL 2024,

00:01:32.080 WHICH SAW 1.4% INCREASE.

00:01:34.240 GROCERY ITEMS CONTRIBUTING TO THE GENERAL ACCELERATION INCLUDED FRESH OR FROZEN BEEF AND COFFEE,

00:01:38.960 BOTH DUE IN PART TO LOWER SUPPLY.

00:01:41.120 THE REPORT ALSO NOTED QUOTE,

00:01:42.640 IN SEPTEMBER 2024, PRICES FELL 7.1% MONTH OVER MONTH DUE IN PART TO LOWER CRUDE OIL PRICES AMID GROWING CONCERNS

00:01:50.640 OF WEAKER ECONOMIC GROWTH, PARTICULARLY IN CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES.

00:01:54.960 IN SEPTEMBER 2025, GASOLINE PRICES ROSE 1.9% ON A MONTHLY BASIS FOLLOWING REFINERY DISRUPTIONS

00:02:01.600 AND MAINTENANCE IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, WHICH PUT UPWARD PRESSURE ON PRICES.

00:02:06.560 SO ALEX, ASIDE FROM INFLATION, HOW IS THE CANADIAN ECONOMY DOING IN AREAS SUCH AS OUR DOLLAR

00:02:12.240 WHEN COMPARED TO THE U.S. OR FOREIGN CAPITAL COMING INTO THE COUNTRY?

00:02:15.920 WELL, ISAAC, RECENTLY THE CANADIAN DOLLAR HAS BEEN UNDER PRESSURE.

00:02:18.960 AS OF LAST CHECK, IT'S SELLING AT ABOUT 71 U.S. CENTS.

00:02:23.040 NORMALLY, THAT'S NOT A BIG PROBLEM FOR CANADA.

00:02:25.200 WE HAVE A VERY RESOURCE-HEVY EXPORT-ORIENTED ECONOMY. 0.98

00:02:28.960 AND SO TYPICALLY, WE BENEFIT FROM A LOWER DOLLAR.

00:02:32.000 BUT THAT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE THE CASE RIGHT NOW.

00:02:33.920 CANADIAN ECONOMY IS DOING, I WOULD SAY, GENERALLY QUITE POORLY.

00:02:37.920 ACCORDING TO STATISTICS CANADA, FOR QUARTER TWO, 2025,

00:02:41.600 CANADA RECORDED A CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT OF ABOUT $21 BILLION.

00:02:45.920 THAT'S THE LARGEST ON RECORD FOR THAT SERIES.

00:02:48.400 ALSO IN Q2 2025, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT INTO CANADA WAS $18.5 BILLION,

00:02:53.600 DOWN FROM $30.2 BILLION IN QUARTER ONE.

00:02:56.560 ON PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT, THE NUMBERS ARE ALSO TERRIBLE.

00:02:59.840 FOREIGN INVESTORS REDUCED THEIR WHOLE ENDS OF CANADIAN SECURITIES BY $16.8 BILLION IN Q2,

00:03:04.880 THE LARGEST NET DIVESTMENT SINCE 2007.

00:03:07.920 WHILE CANADIAN INVESTORS INCREASED HOLDINGS ABROAD, WHICH IS ALSO CONCERNING.

00:03:12.480 SO I WOULD SAY THAT THE PICTURE IS PRETTY BLEEK IN TERMS OF THE CANADIAN ECONOMY.

00:03:21.280 IN A RACE THAT APPEARED TOO TIGHT TO CALL UNTIL THE LAST POLLING STATION REPORTED,

00:03:25.360 JEREMY FARKAS NARROWLY SQUEAKED OUT A VICTORY AGAINST SONYA SHARPE IN CANADA'S MAYORAL ELECTION.

00:03:30.640 AS OF TUESDAY MORNING, THE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS, WITH 380 OF 380 STATIONS REPORTING,

00:03:36.080 SHOWS FARKAS AHEAD WITH 91,065 VOTES AND SHARPE JUST BEHIND HIM AT 90,480.

00:03:43.360 A TOTAL OF 348,626 VOTES FROM CALGARIANS HAVE BEEN TALLIED,

00:03:49.120 MEANING FARKAS CAPTURED 26.12% OF THE VOTE AND SHARPE SECURED 25.95% OF THE VOTE.

00:03:56.080 THE TIGHT RACE SAW INCUMBENT GIODY GONDEC FALL COMPLETELY OUT OF THE RUNNING, SECURING ONLY 71,397 VOTES,

00:04:03.040 OR 20%. HER LOSS MARKS THE FIRST TIME THAT AN INCUMBENT MAYOR OF CALGARY WAS DEFEATED IN A

00:04:07.840 RE-ELECTION BID SINCE 1980, WHEN ROS ALGER LOST TO RALPH KLEIN. THE ELECTION WAS EVEN TIGHTER

00:04:14.000 THAN PRE-ELECTION POLLING SUGGESTED AS IT SHOWED FARKAS NARROWLY LEADING WITH 27% SUPPORT,

00:04:19.040 FOLLOWED BY INCUMBENT MAYOR GIODY GONDEC AND COUNSELOR SONYA SHARPE, EACH AT 23%.

00:04:23.680 DURING THE CAMPAIGN, FARKAS PUSHED WOKE POLICIES LIKE IMPLEMENTING, QUOTE, 1.00

00:04:28.000 HATE TRACKING PROGRAMS, OPPOSING ALBERTA'S EFFORTS TO ENFORCE ITS BAN ON CHILD GENDER TRANSITIONS,

00:04:33.840 AND CELEBRATED BEING PRO-IMMIGRATION. FARKAS POINTED TO HOW HIS PLATFORM, QUOTE,

00:04:38.480 INCLUDES HATE TRACKING AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS, CULTURALLY COMPETENT TRAINING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS,

00:04:43.920 AND THE HOUSING EQUITY ROADMAP TO ENSURE OUR HOUSING SYSTEM WORKS FOR RACIALIZED, NEWCOMER, 0.97

00:04:49.200 INDIGENOUS, DISABLED, AND 2SLGBTQI RESIDENTS. SO, WHAT ELSE DID FARKAS RUN ON? 0.91

00:04:56.640 AND DOES HE REPRESENT A DEPARTURE FROM GONDEC'S POLICY OR MORE OF THE SAME WOKE RADICALISM?

00:05:02.320 YEAH, ALEX, FARKAS RAN ON A LENGTHY LIST OF WOKE POLICIES AND TECHNOCRATIC MANAGEMENT

00:05:08.880 PLEDGES, ONE TOO LENGTHY TO EVEN MAYBE GET THROUGH DURING THE SHOW'S TIME. BUT AS YOU MENTIONED,

00:05:14.160 HIS PLATFORM INCLUDED HATE TRACKING PROGRAMS, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY CONCERNING,

00:05:18.960 CONSIDERING THE BILL IN PARLIAMENT RIGHT NOW THAT WILL POTENTIALLY PUNISH CANADIANS CRIMINALLY FOR

00:05:24.560 WHATEVER THE LIBERALS DEFINE AS HATE. WE'LL SEE WHAT ROLE FARKAS PLAYS IN THAT.

00:05:29.520 AND THEN AS YOU SAID TOO WITH THE HOUSING EQUITY ROLEMAP FOR RACIALIZED NEWCOMER,

00:05:34.080 INDIGENOUS, DISABLED, AND LGBTQ RESIDENTS, THAT TOO CONCERNING WITH THE NEWS WE'RE SEEING 1.00

00:05:40.080 OUT OF B.C. HERE WHERE THEY ARE SAYING THAT THE LAND OWNERS DON'T ACTUALLY OWN THE LAND.

00:05:45.600 THE INDIGENOUS ARE TRYING TO RECLAIM IT. SO WHO KNOWS WHAT THIS CAN OF WARMS WILL OPEN. 0.99

00:05:51.600 AS FOR OTHER THINGS FARKAS HAS PLEDGED, HE PROMISED TO EXPAND SAFETY AMBASSADORS ON TRANSIT,

00:05:58.240 SAYING HE'D ADD BETTER LIGHTING AND VISIBILITY AT STATIONS BECAUSE THAT'S OBVIOUSLY

00:06:02.560 THE KEY PROBLEM THAT CALGARIANS ARE DEALING WITH ON TRANSIT IS POOR LIGHTING,

00:06:06.560 NOT PEOPLE HIGH ON FENTANYL.

00:06:10.560 AND THEN WE SAW LOTS COME OUT OF FARKAS'S ASK ME ANYTHING ON REDDIT.

00:06:14.720 HE CALLED CALGARY'S DIVERSITY ONE OF ITS GREATEST STRENGTHS AND CELEBRATED

00:06:19.440 THAT A THIRD OF CALGARIANS WEREN'T BORN IN NORTH AMERICA.

00:06:22.400 HE CREDITED FORMER MAYOR JOTY GONDEC FOR ADVANCING RECONCILIATION

00:06:26.800 AND SAID HE WOULD KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS ON HOUSING AND LAND USE.

00:06:31.040 HE OPPOSED THE PROVINCE'S USE OF THE NOTWISTENDING Clause

00:06:34.240 TO ENFORCE ITS BAN ON CHILD GENDER TRANSITIONS, WHICH WE SHOULD SEE HAPPEN VERY SHORTLY.

00:06:39.120 A LOT OF HIS APPROACH TO SOCIAL ISSUES MIRRORED THE RHETORIC OF GONDEC'S ADMINISTRATION.

00:06:44.720 HE, FOR EXAMPLE, SUPPORTED MASKING DURING PANDEMIC LOCKDOWNS,

00:06:48.560 CELEBRATING THAT HE, IN FACT, FORCED HIS TEAM TO DO SO.

00:06:52.240 HE CELEBRATED HIS PRO-IMMIGRATION STANCE.

00:06:55.120 HE BACKED FORMER MAYOR NAHID NENCHI'S MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION STRATEGY.

00:06:59.440 AND WE SAW, OF COURSE, FARKAS, HIS MAIN COMPETITOR WAS SONYA SHARP,

00:07:03.760 WHO REALLY HAD A FOCUS ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND WAS EVEN ENDORSED BY THE CALGARY POLICE ASSOCIATION.

00:07:10.400 BUT FARKAS, I GUESS, FRAMED HIMSELF MORE AS FISCALLY COMPETENT, 0.83

00:07:15.680 WHICH IS HARD TO RECONCILE WITH, OF COURSE, HIS WOKE POLICIES THAT HE'S PLEDGING.

00:07:20.080 SO WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WITH THAT.

00:07:22.160 BUT AS FOR THE CRIME, HARD-ON-CRIME POSTURE THAT WE SAW FROM SONYA SHARP,

00:07:28.080 SHE, AS FOR THE HARD-ON-CRIME POSTURE THAT WE SAW FROM SONYA SHARP, FARKAS SAID

00:07:34.400 THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT A FEDERAL LEADER TO SAY, LIKE TALKING ABOUT

00:07:38.080 CRACKING DOWN ON REPEAT OFFENDERS, TALKING ABOUT SENTENCING, BAIL REFORM, AND PREVENTION.

00:07:43.120 OF COURSE, WE SAW THIS FROM A LOT OF MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES, BUT IT'S MOSTLY JUST

00:07:47.920 USELESS SPEECH BECAUSE, OBVIOUSLY, THE MAYOR'S HANDS ARE TIED.

00:07:52.560 WE'VE EVEN SEEN THE PREMIERS TRY AND UNITE TOGETHER AGAINST BAIL REFORM,

00:07:56.640 BUT HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN THAT REGARD.

00:07:58.960 I DON'T KNOW WHAT A MAYOR IS SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN BILL C-75 ESSENTIALLY FORCES THE COURTS

00:08:03.360 TO UPHOLD A CATCH AND RELEASE POLICY.

00:08:05.680 SO FARCAS MORE OR LESS JUST VIRTUE SIGNALING WITH THAT POLICY PROPOSAL OR

00:08:12.640 WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, THAT CAMPAIGN PROMISE.

00:08:15.360 BUT OVERALL, HIS VICTORY DOES NOT MARK A SHARP DEPARTURE FROM GONDEC'S POLITICS.

00:08:20.560 HE HAS PROMISED TO BRING A STEDIER HAND TO CITY HALL, BUT MORE OR LESS HIS PLATFORM LARGELY

00:08:27.200 EXTENDS THE SAME WOKE PRIORITIES THAT DEFINED GONDEC'S TERM, FROM EQUITY AND RECONCILIATION,

00:08:32.560 TO DIVERSITY, TRAINING, AND CLIMATE-STYLE LANGUAGE.

00:08:35.920 SO IF ANY CALGARIANS VOTED FOR FARCAS TO GET GONDEC OUT, THEY MAY BE DISAPPOINTED TO FIGURE OUT 0.93

00:08:41.840 THAT IT'S MORE OF THE SAME.

00:08:43.120 AND THEN ONE OTHER THING THAT I JUST WANTED TO MENTION, ALEX, ON ALBERTA'S MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

00:08:46.960 WAS THE FACT THAT CALGARIES, BY ALL ACCOUNTS AND PURPOSES, WAS RAN PRETTY SMOOTHLY,

00:08:52.320 AND THEY CALLED THE VICTOR EARLY ON TUESDAY MORNING.

00:08:55.360 BUT AS OF TUESDAY AFTERNOON, EDMONTON'S IS IN SHAMBLES.

00:08:58.720 STILL NOT EVEN HALF THE POLLING STATIONS HAVE REPORTED THEIR VOTES,

00:09:03.040 SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN EDMONTON.

00:09:05.440 SOME PUNDITS ON X HAVE SUGGESTED THAT IT'S LIKE A LEFT-WING PLOY TO MAKE THE PROVINCE

00:09:10.240 LOOK BAD, BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY BANNED ELECTRONIC TABULATORS.

00:09:13.040 BUT THAT ARGUMENT OBVIOUSLY GOES OUT THE WINDOW BECAUSE CALGARY HAD NO ISSUES IN TALLYING

00:09:18.320 THEIR VOTES AND WE'VE SEEN OTHER ELECTIONS PROVINCIALLY NOT HAVE ANY TIMING ISSUES

00:09:23.840 WITH HAND-COUNTING VOTES, WHICH OF COURSE HAS BEEN DONE FOR DECADES BEFORE THIS CHANGE.

00:09:28.160 SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON IN EDMONTON, BUT IT IS KIND OF EMBARRASSING

00:09:31.680 THAT CALGARY HAS DONE SUCH A BETTER JOB WHILE EDMONTON, AGAIN, IS IN SHAMBLES.

00:09:36.560 IF I COULD ASK A QUICK FOLLOW-UP QUESTION, ISAAC, AS OUR ALBERTA CORRESPONDENT,

00:09:40.720 MAYBE YOU CAN HELP EXPLAIN THIS TO ME. SO WE WERE IN CALGARY FAIRLY RECENTLY,

00:09:45.520 AND CALGARY, BY ALL APPEARANCES, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE ANYWAY, SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY CONSERVATIVE

00:09:50.400 PLACE. THEY TEND TO VOTE CONSERVATIVE BOTH AT THE PROVINCIAL AND THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

00:09:54.320 WHY DO THEY KEEP ELECTING THESE WOKE, RADICAL MAYORS? 1.00

00:09:59.120 IT'S A GREAT QUESTION, ALEX. FIRST, I'LL START BY SAYING THAT CALGARY IS A LOT

00:10:02.880 MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN EDMONTON IS, WHICH IS ALWAYS CONCERNING TO ME.

00:10:07.520 I WAS LIKE, I ALWAYS WISH I LIVED IN CALGARY FOR THAT REASON ALONE. BUT AS FOR WHY THEY'RE

00:10:13.040 ELECTING WOKE MAYORS, I REALLY DON'T KNOW. I DO THINK THAT FARKAS MIGHT HAVE PRESENTED 1.00

00:10:18.000 HIMSELF AS A GOOD FISCAL MANAGER, WHICH OF COURSE, FROM A CONSERVATIVE SENSE, BUT I DO

00:10:22.800 THINK THAT THAT'S MORE SO A PLOY THAN ANYTHING, BECAUSE AS I SAID, WITH HIS MANY WOKE POLICIES,

00:10:28.000 THIS CERTAINLY WON'T BE, IN MY OPINION, CONSERVATIVELY FISCAL. SO WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.

00:10:33.920 I MEAN, IT WAS, LOOK, IT WAS A SUPER CLOSE RACE THAT CAME DOWN TO LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF VOTES

00:10:40.320 BETWEEN HIM AND SONIA SHARP, WHO I WOULD SAY SHARP WAS BY FAR THE STRONGEST CONSERVATIVE

00:10:44.720 CANDIDATE. SO CALGARY DID, YES, ELECT A WOKE CANDIDATE, BUT THE CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE WAS,

00:10:51.520 AS I SAID, WITHIN HUNDREDS OF VOTES. SO THAT'S REALLY HOW CLOSE IT CAME DOWN TO.

00:10:54.960 CBC EXECUTIVES ARE FACING HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY AND QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BROADCASTER'S BIAS,

00:11:03.440 COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY OF OPINION, AND INVESTIGATING TOXIC WORKPLACE CLAIMS.

00:11:08.000 DURING TESTIMONY AT THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON CANADIAN HERITAGE, CBC PRESIDENT MARIE-PHILIPE

00:11:13.280 BOUCHARD AND OTHER EXECUTIVES WERE REPEATELY PRESSED ABOUT FORMER PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER

00:11:17.760 TRAVIS DANRAJ'S PUBLIC RESIGNATION. DANRAJ ALLEGED A TOXIC WORKPLACE CULTURE AT THE BROADCASTER.

00:11:25.120 WHILE INSISTING EMPLOYEE SURVEYS INDICATE MOST CBC STAFF REPORT HIGH SATISFACTION AND A STRONG SENSE

00:11:31.200 OF PURPOSE, BOUCHARD SAID QUOTE, ONE INDIVIDUAL'S CLAIMS DOES NOT MAKE A WHOLE ORGANIZATION'S CULTURE.

00:11:38.080 UM, BUT WE ARE AWARE THAT THAT'S, THAT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO WORK AT ALL THE TIME.

00:11:45.360 WHY DO YOU THINK YOU NEED TO WORK AT IT ALL THE TIME? DO YOU SENSE THAT THERE'S NOT THE BALANCE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE?

00:11:51.280 IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO MEASURE OUTPUT. IT'S EASIER TO MEASURE THE PERCEPTION.

00:11:56.640 AND WE DO MEASURE PERCEPTION. NOW, OVERALL, THE PERCEPTION OF BALANCE IS STILL VERY MUCH

00:12:03.600 MEASURED AROUND CANADIANS. BUT THERE ARE ARE AREAS WHERE WE SEE THAT THE NUMBERS ARE A LITTLE LOWER.

00:12:10.800 AND THOSE NUMBERS THAT WE GET FROM THE SURVEYS THAT WE CONDUCT ABOUT THE PERCEPTION OF BALANCE,

00:12:18.800 I THINK IS A FUNCTION OF THE FACT THAT MAYBE WE'RE NOT PRESENT ENOUGH IN THOSE LOCATIONS.

00:12:23.440 BOUCHARD ACKNOWLEDGED THE MATTER IS BEFORE THE HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNAL. SHE SAID SHE HAD NOT

00:12:27.840 PERSONALLY INVESTIGATED DONRAJAH'S CLAIMS BUT MAINTAINED CBC'S PROCESSES ARE SOUND.

00:12:33.040 SHE TOLD THE COMMITTEE QUOTE,

00:12:34.800 AS IS NATURAL IN A LARGE ORGANIZATION, I DON'T DOUBLE UP ON EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY.

00:12:39.680 CONSERVATIVE MP RACHEL THOMAS RAISED CONCERNS THAT CBC'S DEI PRACTICES MAY PROMOTE

00:12:44.800 IDEOLOGICAL UNIFORMITY RATHER THAN INCLUSION.

00:12:48.400 SHE SAID QUOTE, HOW DO YOU SQUARE YOUR DEI COMMITMENTS WITH A LACK OF DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT?

00:12:54.480 BOUCHARD DEFENDED THE BROADCASTER'S FRAMEWORK,

00:12:56.640 ARGUING DEI ENCOMPASSES A BROAD RANGE OF IDENTITIES AND EXPERIENCES,

00:13:01.520 INCLUDING REGIONAL AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY.

00:13:04.080 SHE SAID QUOTE, THERE'S NO CONTRADICTION BETWEEN HAVING INCLUSIVE GOALS

00:13:08.320 AND REFLECTING A VARIETY OF PERSPECTIVES IN OUR JOURNALISM.

00:13:13.360 SO ALEX, WHAT ELSE DID CONSERVATIVES PRESSURE THE CBC EXECUTIVES ON

00:13:17.200 DURING THIS COMMITTEE AND WHAT WERE THEIR RESPONSES?

00:13:21.920 WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE LISTENERS

00:13:24.880 TO WATCH THE COMMITTEES FOR THEMSELVES.

00:13:27.440 COMMITTEES ARE REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING.

00:13:29.120 IF YOU THINK OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS AS A BIG BANQUET HALL

00:13:32.080 WHERE ALL OF THE DANCING AND PARTYING HAPPENS,

00:13:34.080 THINK OF A COMMITTEE MEETING AS KIND OF LIKE THE KITCHEN PREP AREA

00:13:37.840 WHERE ALL OF THE ACTUAL WORK GOES DOWN.

00:13:41.840 THAT BEING SAID, THEY CAN ALSO, MUCH LIKE KITCHEN PREP AREAS,

00:13:45.760 HAVE THEIR OWN AMOUNT OF CHAOS AND ENTERTAINMENT.

00:13:49.440 AND THAT WAS CERTAINLY THE CASE FOR THE CANADIAN HERITAGE COMMITTEE

00:13:52.320 ON MONDAY.

00:13:54.080 FIRST OF ALL, THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE IS A LIBERAL MP

00:13:57.520 THAT GOES BY THE NAME OF LISA HEFNER. 1.00

00:14:00.400 THOSE WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH LISA HEFNER WILL KNOW EXACTLY

00:14:02.720 WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT WHEN I SAY SHE IS ONE OF THE MORE

00:14:05.680 ANIMATED AND INTERESTING MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.

00:14:09.440 SHE'S A REAL CHARACTER.

00:14:10.480 AND SO THAT KIND OF GIVES THE ENTIRE COMMITTEE A BIT OF AN UNSERIOUS

00:14:16.720 TONE, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY.

00:14:18.560 ONE OF THE SERIOUS HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COMMITTEE WAS

00:14:21.840 CONSERVATIVE MP RACHEL THOMAS ASKING THE HEAD OF THE CBC.

00:14:25.920 SHE'S THE NEW HEAD OF THE CBC, MIND YOU.

00:14:27.760 SHE REPLACED EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE HEAD OF THE CBC,

00:14:30.400 CATHERINE TATE, JUST RECENTLY.

00:14:32.480 SHE ASKED, HOW DO YOU SQUARE YOUR DEI COMMITMENTS,

00:14:34.960 THOSE BEING THE DEI COMMITMENTS OF THE CBC,

00:14:37.200 WITH A LACK OF DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT?

00:14:40.080 THERE WAS REALLY NO GOOD ANSWER.

00:14:41.600 THE NEW CBC PRESIDENT, MARY-PHILIPE BOUCHARD,

00:14:44.480 DEFENDED THE BROADCASTER'S DEI FRAMEWORK,

00:14:46.720 SAYING IT COVERS A BROAD RANGES OF IDENTITIES AND EXPERIENCES.

00:14:50.480 SHE ALSO DREW A DISTINCTION BETWEEN RURAL AND URBAN WATCHERS OR LISTENERS,

00:14:55.440 HOWEVER FEW OF THEM THERE ARE LEFT, OF THE CBC,

00:14:58.960 AND SAID THAT THAT WAS THE BIGGEST DIVIDE,

00:15:00.560 NOT THE DIVIDE BETWEEN LEFT AND RIGHT.

00:15:02.160 I DIDN'T FIND THAT PARTICULARLY CONVINCING,

00:15:04.000 AND I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY AT THE COMMITTEE DID EITHER.

00:15:07.040 THE CBC'S VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

00:15:09.680 SAID THAT AS OF TODAY THERE ARE NO FOREIGN WORKERS WORKING FOR CBC,

00:15:14.080 BUT THEY HAD NO WAY TO CONFIRM THAT.

00:15:15.760 THERE WAS A KIND OF HILARIOUS EXCHANGE WHERE THE HEAD OF THE CBC

00:15:19.040 ADMITTED THAT SHE DID NOT KNOW WHO WAS WORKING AT THE CBC,

00:15:22.400 NOR DID SHE KNOW WHO WAS WORKING AT THE CBC 10 YEARS AGO

00:15:25.040 WHEN THOSE ALLEGATIONS FIRST AROSE.

00:15:26.720 ONE OF MY FAVORITE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MEETING

00:15:31.280 WAS COMMITTEE MEMBER CONSERVATIVE BERNARD GENEROU

00:15:37.360 IDENTIFIED THAT THE CBC HAS BEEN PLACED AMONGST

00:15:40.720 LEFT OF CENTER MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS IN TERMS OF HIS BIAS,

00:15:43.760 AND HE ASKED HOW HE COULD RETURN CBC TO THE CENTER.

00:15:46.960 AGAIN, THERE WAS NO REALLY GOOD ANSWER FOR THAT.

00:15:48.800 BOUCHARD WAS KIND OF DISMISSED ABOUT THE CLAIM.

00:15:51.360 AND LASTLY, GOING BACK TO RACHEL THOMAS,

00:15:54.080 SHE ALSO POINTED OUT SOME OF THE CBC'S MISREPORTING ON THE PALESTINE ISSUE.

00:15:59.440 AND AGAIN, BOUCHARD WAS DISMISSIVE,

00:16:02.240 SAYING THAT SHE'S ONLY BEEN IN CHARGE FOR SO LONG.

00:16:04.160 SO IT WAS A BIT OF A CASE OF, YOU KNOW,

00:16:07.280 WHAT IS THAT, SERGEANT SCHULTZ?

00:16:09.120 YOU KNOW, I SAW NOTHING IN THE CASE OF BOUCHARD,

00:16:12.960 AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE MORE OF THE SAME FROM THE CBC, 0.99

00:16:17.040 WHICH IS FLEDGELING PRODUCT AND A QUICKLY DISSIPATING VIEWERSHIP.

00:16:22.640 THAT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THEY WILL RELEASE THE NUMBER OF GEMS

00:16:25.920 SUBSCRIBERS, WHICH WAS ANOTHER MAJOR TALKING POINT IN COMMITTEE.

00:16:28.560 THAT'S IT FOR TODAY, FOLKS.

00:16:32.560 THANKS FOR TUNING IN.

00:16:33.520 YOU CAN STAY ON TOP OF NEW EPISODES EVERY WEEKDAY

00:16:35.760 BY SUBSCRIBING TO THE DAILY BRIEF ON ITUNES AND SPOTIFY.

00:16:39.040 ALSO, WHILE YOU'RE AT IT,

00:16:40.400 MAKE SURE TO HIT US WITH A 5-STAR RATING AND PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW.

00:16:43.520 THANKS FOR JOINING US.

Juno News - October 22, 2025

CBC faces questions on DEI hiring and temporary foreign workers

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