Hubert T.

Lacroix, prsident-directeur gnral

CBC/Radio-Canada
P.O. Box 3220, Station C
Ottawa, ON K1Y 1E4
Le 24 mars 2016
M. Lacroix,
Nous vous crivons cette lettre pour montrer notre appui envers CBC et votre rcente dcision dinterdire les
commentaires anonymes en ligne. Au cours des dernires annes, des commentaires particulirement blessants dans
certains cas ont t publis sur des sites web, incluant celui de CBC/Radio-Canada. Ces commentaires ne permettent
pas un dbat public positif sur divers enjeux.
Nous appuyons nos amis et familles francophones qui ont rcemment prsent cette requte. Cest une opinion que
les signataires de cette lettre appuyaient et encourageaient avant votre annonce du 17 mars 2016.
Comme vous le savez, le rseau CBC est une socit dtat fdrale considrablement finance par les contribuables
titre de ressource publique. Le rseau CBC tire fiert, juste titre, de sa capacit de fournir un service public
prcieux, ce qui vient avec une responsabilit sociale importante. Le rseau CBC a donc une obligation de satisfaire
et surpasser les normes de radiodiffusion prives qui, conformment au libell de son mandat, devrait rendre
compte de la diversit rgionale du pays, tant au plan national quau niveau rgional, tout en rpondant aux besoins
particuliers des rgions , promouvant ainsi la tolrance et un dialogue pacifique entre les Canadiens.
Comme nous en avons tous t tmoins, il y a non seulement des commentaires haineux envers les francophones,
mais galement envers les anglophones, les Premires Nations, les personnes handicapes, les rfugis et dautres
encore. Nous estimons quun forum de discussion de ce type financ par les fonds publics ne devrait pas tre un
endroit cultivant la haine et crant une division entre les gens de notre province.
Nous croyons fermement la libert dexpression et nous croyons que les institutions dmocratiques telles que le
rseau CBC sont responsables dencourager la participation citoyenne. Nous estimons galement que cela doit tre
quilibr avec un impact minimal de tort et de douleur envers les lecteurs ainsi quenvers notre province. Votre
dcision dinterdire les commentaires anonymes, tout en protgeant la libert dexpression, est un pas dans la bonne
direction que nous appuyons vigoureusement.
Nous devons, lchelle de la province, concentrer notre nergie afin de travailler ensemble et nous comprendre les
uns les autres par lentremise dun dialogue constructif ainsi que dvelopper une prosprit sociale et conomique
pour tous, avec des opportunits conomiques dont notre province a dsesprment besoin. Nous croyons quen
inspirant une meilleure responsabilisation en promouvant des dbats publics et une expression libre sans anonymat,
cela contribuera grandement permettre notre province de trouver de meilleures solutions nos dfis dans un
environnement bas sur le respect et la tolrance.
Nous avons une belle province bilingue et nous estimons pouvoir la rendre encore meilleure en travaillant ensemble.
Sincrement,

Jody Carr, MLA/dput

Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton
_______________________________

President Hubert T. Lacroix

CBC/Radio-Canada
P.O. Box 3220, Station C
Ottawa, ON K1Y 1E4
March 24, 2016
Dear Mr. Lacroix,
We write this letter to support the CBC in your recent decision to ban anonymous online comments. As we have
seen over the course of the past number of years, comments left on websites including CBC/Radio-Canada have been
particularly hurtful in some cases and lend very little to a positive public discourse on a wide variety of issues.
We support our Francophone friends and family who recently brought this request forward. A position the
signatories to this letter both supported and encouraged prior to your announcement on March 17, 2016.
As you know, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation is a Federal Crown Corporation funded significantly by taxpayers
as a public resource. The CBC rightly prides itself on providing a valuable public service, and with this comes a
significant social responsibility. The CBC has an obligation therefore to meet and exceed private broadcast
standards that, in accordance with the wording of its mandate, reflects Canada and its regions to national and
regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions, thereby promoting tolerance and peaceful
dialogue between Canadians.
As we have all witnessed, not only are there regular hateful comments towards Francophones, but also towards
Anglophones, First Nations, people with disabilities, refugees and others. We feel a publicly-funded discussion
forum of this nature should not be a place to cultivate hate and division among the people of our province.
We believe strongly in the right to freedom of expression and believe democratic institutions such as the CBC have
a responsibility to encourage citizen engagement. We also believe at the same time this must be balanced with
minimal impact of hurt and harm to both readers and to our province as a whole.
Your decision to ban anonymous comments, while still protecting freedom of expression, is a positive step in the
right direction, and one which we fully support.
As a province, we feel we must focus our energy on working together, understanding each other through constructive
dialogue and building social and economic prosperity for everyone with the economic opportunities our province so
desperately needs. We feel instilling better accountability, by promoting free, non-anonymous expression and public
debate, will go a long way towards allowing our province to better find solutions to our challenges in an environment
based on respect and tolerance.
We have a great bilingual province, and we believe we can be even greater by working together.
Sincerely,

Jody Carr, MLA/dput

Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton
_______________________________

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