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A CBC Champion at the CBC-CMG Toronto Local
•  Posted on  October 26, 2015  

A CBC Champion at the CBC-CMG Toronto Local
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Now that the election has happened, and we find ourselves with a Liberal majority after the Liberal party promised to put $150 million back into the CBC/SRC annual budget, it’s time to give credit where it’s due. If you have spoken with family or friends about the importance of CBC, or if you have a lawn sign up at your house, or you took part in our workplace actions (like wearing black) – then THANK YOU for being a Champion of Public Broadcasting!

If you have one of the buttons, or lawn or window signs with the Champion CBC logo on it – then you have been part of the larger campaign to ensure that the negative impacts on CBC from all the recent cuts was part of the conversation during this federal election. The national levels of the Canadian Media Guild supported this organized campaign. And one of our own members from here at CBC Toronto was seconded for the year to hold the reins on this project – Kam Rao, normally a CBC Producer & Director of Human Rights & Equity on both the Local & National Executive Committees. She gathered input from members across the country and structured a timeline for us to keep to – getting members involved in many ways. Creating facebook pages & websites that got the conversation gathering steam within the public, to getting well over 5000 lawn signs up in every corner of the country, to designing a full page ad in the Globe & Mail just days before the election – Kam kept the issue in the national zeitgeist, and the election results foretell better days at CBC.
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So to Kam Rao – we owe a very big THANK YOU – for a job well done!

When members ask what the Guild is doing for them – this is one of the biggest things our union has ever accomplished… Running a non-partisan, issue-based campaign on public broadcasting here in Canada, that has shown results. Yes, the Guild has been there for members on the workforce adjustment front, as we faced the largest number of cuts we’ve seen over the past 2 years, and we’re there for members on a myriad of other fronts to protect our rights – but we also stand up and advocate for what we all believe in – Canada’s need for a strong public broadcaster.

So again – thank you for your support and involvement! And thank you to Kam Rao for her persistence & leadership. Now the work of rebuilding must begin… Political promises need to become a reality & cooperation on how best to restore CBC with new funding must occur. Let’s continue to do our best to ensure that Canada has the strong public broadcaster that it needs and deserves – for generations to come.

Thank you

Naomi Robinson
CMG CBC Toronto Local President
Kam (L), Pat (R) with Champion sign