CBC/Radio-Canada must provide more local coverage in emerging “news deserts” where declining advertising revenue has resulted in the closure of hundreds of outlets in the past two decades, according to a new Senate report on Canada’s public broadcaster.
The Senate’s transport and communications committee published a report Wednesday issuing seven recommendations for CBC/Radio-Canada, including that its mandate be amended to require local news coverage.
“Entire communities are becoming news deserts, leaving residents with little information about local issues,” said committee chair David Wells, Conservative senator for Newfoundland and Labrador. “CBC/Radio-Canada can play a role in replenishing that pipeline.”
Since 2024, the committee has examined the local services provided by CBC/Radio-Canada, hearing from 60 witnesses, including experts, civil society representatives and community and private media outlets, many of whom described an industry in crisis amid the collapse of the traditional media business model.
Since 2008, 521 local outlets have closed in 347 communities across Canada, the committee heard.
Community coverage remains vital to Canadians, with 73 per cent of respondents telling the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 2024 they were interested in local news.
To respond to this demand, the report recommended that CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate be amended to require the broadcaster provide local news. It also recommended the CRTC impose new local reporting requirements on the broadcaster and that it collaborate more with local private and community media.
Conservative senator: CBC needs a ‘course correction’ in how it serves the public
“The void left by the closure and downsizing of these local outlets can be filled by a renewed emphasis on local news from the national public broadcaster,” Wells said.
“As a taxpayer-funded organization, CBC/Radio-Canada is uniquely positioned to withstand the pressures on the immediate industry and to serve Canadians with news about the places we call home.”
Making these changes could encourage greater engagement with the public broadcaster from Canadians who do not currently feel served by its output.
“With trust in CBC/Radio-Canada dwindling, it’s clear that the broadcaster’s mandate needs to better reflect the different realities of Canada’s small towns and local communities,” Wells said.
“Robust oversight of CBC’s news and current affairs will help ensure fair and balanced coverage across the country.”
The public broadcaster’s current mandate stipulates that it “reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions.”
The committee noted that CBC/Radio-Canada had recently taken steps to expand into more regions with the hire of 33 local journalists.
“The committee welcomes January’s announcement that CBC is creating 11 new bureaus across the country,” Wells said.
CBC News further expands local journalism, bureaus
CBC president denies broadcaster is biased or poaches journalists from smaller markets
That expansion has not been without criticism, however. In April, Conservative MP Kevin Waugh accused CBC of “poaching” local journalists as it expands into more communities.
After hearing that shortfalls and cutbacks have resulted in reductions in local and regional programming, the report recommended the government provide CBC/Radio-Canada with stable multi-year funding.
To assess the public broadcaster’s fairness and balance, it recommended it conduct periodic analysis by outside experts of its news and current affairs programming.
Doing so would “reinforce confidence” in an organization that provides an essential role, according to committee member René Cormier, Independent senator from New Brunswick.
CBC/Radio-Canada should also examine the role it can play in providing coverage of emergencies and natural disasters, particularly in remote areas.
“We have to make sure that CBC/Radio-Canada can give complete coverage of what is happening in emergencies,” said Cormier, speaking in French, listing wildfires, storms, floods and pandemics.
“Access to continuous information can make a true difference.”
Asked whether he thought CBC should continue to exist, given that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to defund the corporation, Wells said it provided a role not filled by commercial outlets.
“My position is they are still a required service in rural and remote Canada and in areas where either English or French is not the predominant language,” he said.
Still, he said, “there has to be a course correction in how CBC acts in the public and for the public.”
Wells said the public broadcaster had “dropped the puck” by losing Hockey Night in Canada.
On Tuesday, CBC announced it would no longer air NHL games as its broadcast deal with national rights-holder Rogers Sportsnet expired.
“It’s a shame that Canada’s national game is not freely available to all Canadians,” Wells said.
CBC’s corporate spokesperson said the broadcaster was still studying the report and did not have any immediate official comment.
