The CRTC's recent decision to refuse the licensing of Italian television channel RAI International is escalating into a political controversy that could force Paul Martin's new government to look at reforming the regulatory commission.It's a thin excuse to overhaul the agency that controls what Canadians will or will not see. Or hear.
On the same day, the CRTC decided not to renew the license of a popular Montreal station because of a long pattern of offensive comments by its morning-show hosts.
It was the first time since its creation that the CRTC has not renewed a commercial licence solely because of verbal content.They had an amazing 92 complaints since 2002. The CBC story elaborates on the complaints.
In its decision, the CRTC cited several of Fillion's on-air remarks, including his postulating about the relationship between the breast size and intelligence of a local TV personality, his opinion that psychiatric patients should be euthanized and his view that African students at Laval University are the children of brutal dictators.In a related story, a chain of pet stores decided to discontinue their mailman-shaped biscuits because - well - it was offensive to postal carriers across the country. They were helped to make this decision after receiving a letter from the Crown corporation's legal department.
If you wonder what has happened to Canada to make them such passive bystanders to such idiocy, an online poll at the Globe and Mail asked "Have you used marijuana in the last five years?" Some 10756 said yes. 10593 said no. It's the only poll that generated much interest in the last year.
