To Ceasefire.ca supporters,

Many people have alerted me to news from the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting that could harm our ability to work for peace.

Information has leaked that the CBC is considering moving The National to the much later timeslot of 11 p.m., potentially cutting its audience by a third. This would mean fewer Canadians receiving news from a primetime Canadian broadcast. Friends of Canadian Broadcasting are asking people to sign a petition.

As you may have seen, our campaigns have been featured regularly on The National, reaching millions of Canadians – such as this major interview earlier this year.

Also, we know from public opinion research that people who watch more American TV newscasts tend to favour going to war more than those who watch Canadian TV newscasts.

For instance, in 2003 an EKOS poll found that 58 per cent of Canadians who watched mostly U.S. TV newscasts were opposed to our government’s decision to stay out of the invasion of Iraq, but 75 per cent of those who watched Canadian TV newscasts, like the CBC’s The National, supported the government’s decision to stay out of Iraq.

I fear that moving The National will diminish the impact of our peace work. If you agree, I invite you to sign the petition from the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting urging the CBC’s Board of Directors to keep The National at 10 p.m.

In peace,

Steven Staples,
Ceasefire.ca

P.S. Please make your donation to Ceasefire.ca’s campaign to end Canada’s war in Afghanistan. If you have already made a gift recently, please accept our thanks.