The CRTC has formally removed the Kremlin-controlled networks RT (formerly Russia Today) and RT France from Canadian television, following public consultation, saying that the programming is not consistent with Canadian standards set out in the Broadcast Act.
The CRTC said it is concerned with programming from a foreign country that seeks to undermine the sovereignty of another country, demean Canadians of a particular ethnic background, and undermine democratic institutions within Canada
On March 2, the CRTC received a request from the Governor in Council to determine whether those RT services should be removed, prompting a public consultation. The CRTC received a total of 373 interventions with 350 in favour of removing the services.
“Freedom of speech and a range of perspectives are a necessary part of our democracy. However, it is a privilege and not a right to be broadcast in Canada,” the CRTC wrote in its decision on Wednesday. “Foreign channels can be removed from the authorized list should their programming not be consistent with the standards to which Canadian services are held, or their continued distribution no longer serves the public interest, as was the case for RT and RT France.”
Canadian television service providers removed RT from their channel lineups when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, but the CRTC’s decision effectively bans BDUs from offering RT and RT France going forward.
Canada is not the only country to take this step. The EU has banned RT and Sputnik from broadcasting in its member countries and the service has been pulled from the airwaves in other countries such as Australia
The CRTC authorized the distribution of Russia Today in Canada in 2009, and the distribution of RT France in 2020.
Around the world, governments have issued formal sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, and the global corporate sector along with the advertising industry followed suit by cutting off ties with Russian businesses and ending their own operations in the country.
