Egale Canada, a Canadian organization that advocates for the 2SLGBTQI community, has called on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to conduct public consultations regarding the exclusion of Fox News from the list of non-Canadian programming authorized for distribution in Canada.
The group’s call for action comes after Tucker Carlson aired a segment on the organization, which Egale Canada claims was full of “malicious misinformation” and “incitement of violence” against the so-called 2SLGBTQI community (2 Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Questioning, Intersex.)
Egale Canada has claimed that the segment violated Canadian broadcasting standards, and therefore Fox News should not be authorized for distribution in Canada.
Egale Canada is calling on @CRTCeng to begin public consultations on the removal of Fox News from the list of non-Canadian programming authorized for distribution in Canada.
Read our open letter to the CRTC: https://t.co/mhBuyUcHG9 pic.twitter.com/5huroyt78n
— Egale Canada (@egalecanada) April 4, 2023
In an open letter, Egale Canada stated that “This programming is in clear violation of Canadian broadcasting standards and has no place on Canadian broadcasting networks.” The group further claimed that Carlson made false claims about the 2STNBGN community, including that they were violent and dangerous, and that they were “targeting” Christians.
Egale Canada claimed that this was an “incitement of violence against trans people” and that it violated Canadian broadcasting standards. The group also alleged that Carlson made other false claims, such as that trans people receive preferential treatment in employment and other opportunities, which was intended to stoke resentment against 2STNBGN people.
That's quite a list of partners… https://t.co/pPxqWmJTgB pic.twitter.com/Jn6GXQaTD2
— Élie Cantin-Nantel (@elie_mcn) April 5, 2023
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is responsible for regulating the Canadian broadcasting system, including non-Canadian broadcasters. The CRTC has established that non-Canadian broadcasters must be held to the same standard as Canadian channels, including the prohibition of broadcasting abusive comments that expose individuals or groups to hatred or contempt.
Egale Canada has called for the CRTC to hold public consultations on whether Fox News should be authorized for distribution in Canada.
According to the Broadcasting Act, the CRTC may hold a public hearing and make a decision if it is in the public interest to do so. Egale Canada claims that the “potential for segments like the one recently aired on Fox News” and “rising levels of anti-trans hate around the world” necessitates a “serious Canadian conversation about the broadcasting of Fox News in Canada.”
