For years, I have read comments in the CBC websites discussion sections routinely calling Christians simple-minded fools and describing God as a mythical figure who, if he exists, is bloodthirsty, hateful, and vengeful.
As a proponent of free speech, I am fine with people saying whatever they want about my Roman Catholic faith and Christianity in general. Only by allowing free speech can we exchange ideas and undertake true evangelization. I have always been confident that truth will win out.
But the CBCs moderators seem uninterested in allowing that same freedom of speech when it comes to Catholics. I recently posted a comment under a story about rioting in the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting the time was right for every Canadian to repent of their sins, pick up a rosary, and pray to God for peace and healing.
That post resulted in several individuals asking about the Christian faith and challenging my religious beliefs. All my replies were respectful. There were no personal attacks or insults from me. Yet the CBC chose to ban me for that call to prayer. When I attempted to log onto the website again, this is what popped up:
The CBCs claims are false. There were no personal attacks toward anyone on my part, nor were there uncivil comments. During a time of riotous behaviour and illness sweeping the entire planet, any comment calling for peace and healing is most definitely on topic.
The only conceivable reason for this ban is that the CBC moderator discriminated against me because my post expressed a religious sentiment that of belief in God and the efficacy of prayer.
This is discrimination contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which in Section 15 (1) says, Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
Since the taxpayer-funded CBC is breaking our countrys laws and displaying anti-religious bigotry, I filed complaints with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and the CBC Ombudsman, asking for a formal apology and assurances that steps will be taken to prevent this type of discrimination. I specified that these assurances should come with a plan of action with specific goals that are measurable and observable so they are not just platitudes but concrete steps that will lead to significant changes.
The response from CBC Ombudsman Jack Nagler was instantaneous the same day and anything but reassuring. He claimed that as ombudsman he doesnt have any say on commenting or the moderation of comments in stories. My responsibility is to assess the content generated by CBC journalists, not the content generated by readers. Comments do not fall under my mandate.
He offered to share my complaint with programmers to make them aware of my concerns but there was no apology, no condemnation of bias against Catholics and other Christians, and no assurance that anti-Christian bias will be curbed at the CBC.
I received a reply from the broadcast standards council washing its hands of the matter, and saying it does not have jurisdiction over the public broadcaster, only private broadcasters. They forwarded my complaint to the Canadian Radio-television and telecommunications Commission, who replied the next day claiming they did not have authority over broadcasters websites and so could not look into this complaint.
About two weeks later, I finally got a reply from the Canadian Human Rights Commission, who tried to pass the buck, saying We have carefully reviewed your correspondence and it appears that your complaint is regarding content and moderating by CBC. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is the more appropriate organization to address this matter.
I answered them, saying the CRTC does not handle this type of complaint and that Id contacted them first and have them on record as stating as much. I said Id also contacted the CBC Ombudsman, who told me he has no authority over the moderation of the comments section of the CBC website.
I closed by saying that if the human rights commission refuses to look into my complaint, it will mean Christians can be actively discriminated against by Canadas national, taxpayer-funded broadcaster with complete impunity.
Is that the message you want me to take to the media? I asked. Do you want me to let them know that the Canadian Human Rights Commission does not care about the rights of Christians?
Within hours the commission got back to me, saying, Upon further review of your correspondence with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, it appears that your inquiry might be within the jurisdiction of the Commission.
I cant help but wonder how seriously my complaint will be taken by a human rights commission that didnt want to investigate it in the first place.
More than two-thirds of Canadians are Christian, not an insignificant amount. We are the backbone of our country. We pay taxes and certainly the lions share of the funding the CBC relies on to operate. Without Christian taxpayers, there would be no CBC as we know it.
I ask for prayers that this complaint will not fall on deaf ears and that the rights of Catholics will be protected in Canada.
James Risdon is a New Brunswick writer and former B.C. Catholic contributor. He lives in Bathurst.
The rest is here:
Anatomy of an anti-Catholicism complaint against the CBC - The B.C. Catholic