Voters in key ridings are the target of a campaign calling for the election of candidates who support domestic owership and control of Canadian broadcasting and communications companies.
The Canadian actors union ACTRA, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) and Friends of Canadian Broadcasting have been asking voters to “Keep it Canadian” in print ads running in community newspapers across the country.
Last month, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that if re-elected, he would allow foreign ownership of telecommunications companies.
“All three organizations are very concerned about the prospect of foreign ownership,” said Joanne Deer, ACTRA’s director of public policy and communications. “We’re basically just trying to think of this as an issue during the campaign when they go to vote on Tuesday.”
The ad features a ballot with the choice of a Keep it Canadian Candidate or the Conservative Party. A check appears beside the first, with the headline: “Sell our media and communications to foreign interests? You Bet! That’s what Prime Minister Harper wants to do.”
The body copy reads: “If you believe our media, communications and our culture are too important to be sold to the highest foreign bidder, please vote for a candidate who will keep it Canadian. On October 14, send an advocate for Canadian ownership to Ottawa because our media is our message.”
“We’re not telling anyone to vote for any party in particular,” said Deer. “We’re really just suggesting that people try to vote against Conservative party candidates.”
According to a 2007 Harris-Decima survey, 66% of voters believe broadcasting and communications are too important to allow foreign control of Canadian companies in this sector.
The poll found that 62% of Canadians are more likely to vote for candidates who oppose giving control of Canadian media to foreign interests, while 19% are more likely to vote for a candidate who is in favour of foreign companies owning more of Canada’s broadcasting and telephone companies.
“If we lose control of our media, we lose control of the messaging of our national identity and democratic debate,” said Peter Murdoch, vice-president, media for CEP, in a statement. “We will no longer have the ability to tell our own stories and see the world through Canadian eyes.”
