To the Editor,
Would it be OK if the government insisted the first car we purchased had to be built in Canada, and only after paying for it could we buy the car we really wanted? Would being forced to buy a selection of Canadian-grown broccoli and lima beans, before we are allowed to make our own food choices, be acceptable?
So why do we accept forced purchasing of Canadian TV content? Canadian programming, like any other product, should succeed or fail based on merit. If it’s only viable through forced subscription, then let it fail. It’s the only fair way, especially when the government professes to favour free enterprise and free trade.
But instead of practising what it preaches, the government is wasting money on hearings based on the forced ‘basic package’ model. It also seems oblivious to the fact that the cable TV content distribution model will soon be obsolete – so these hearings are about as useful as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
S.I. PetersenNanaimo