OTTAWA — Canadian political leaders have condemned Russia’s decision to shut down CBC-Radio Canada’s Moscow bureau and revoke the visas of its Canadian reporters and producers covering that country.
“The truth, responsible journalism, sharing what’s actually going on with citizens is a deep threat to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin in his illegal war and his authoritarian tendencies,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters hours after Moscow’s move was made public.
The ouster of CBC-Radio Canada was in retaliation for Ottawa’s ban on Kremlin-backed RT, formerly known as Russia Today, and RT France, from being broadcast in Canada, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.
Trudeau said it’s “unfortunate but not surprising,” that Putin is trying to “shut down strong journalistic institutions,” as he reiterated that Canada “will always stand up for a free strong independent press doing its work of challenging and revealing what’s going on in the world.”
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said Putin is trying to cover up the “horrible reality” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said there is a “major difference” in how Canada came to its decision to block Russian propaganda on airwaves here, which he called “a totally independent” decision by Canada’s broadcast regulator.
“I asked the (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission) to do an inquiry, to consult Canadians, which they did for two weeks. They met with hundreds of people and they rendered a very detailed decision, a 7,000-word decision. That’s what happens in Canada,” Rodriguez said.
“In Russia, just like that, they kick out a journalist.”
Rodriguez described CBC/Radio-Canada as “a public network,” and contrasted it with the Russian broadcaster, which he called “a state-based network. It’s very different, it’s totally different.”
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Putin’s government criminalized media reports that called the incursion a “war,” and threatened journalists with up to 15 years in jail for doing so. Several Western outlets including CBC and Radio Canada suspended reporting there temporarily, assigning staff to cover the war from elsewhere in eastern Europe.
In early April, as global outrage grew, Russian lawmakers set out powers that would allow the shutdown of foreign news outlets operating in Russia in retaliation for Russian outlets being closed abroad.
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said Moscow’s move is “bad for journalism, but it’s not surprising.”
“Putin is someone who was engaged in a horrific war violating human rights,” Singh said. “On top of that, it’s clear he doesn’t believe in the truth or good journalism.”
Brodie Fenlon, editor-in-chief of CBC News, wrote on Twitter that “to our knowledge, this is the first time in the history of CBC/Radio-Canada that a foreign government has forced the closure of one of our bureaus. This appears to be another step by Russia to stifle a free and independent press within its borders.”
Fenlon said the organization is “deeply disappointed,” having maintained a bureau in Moscow for more than 44 years, and said it was the only Canadian news organization with a permanent presence in the country.
“Our journalism is completely independent of the Canadian government and we are saddened to see the Russian government confide in the two,” he wrote.
Briar Stewart, CBC’s English-language correspondent in Moscow, tweeted she was “obviously very disappointed by this decision and particularly feel for our local staff at this time.”
Her French-language colleague Tamara Alteresco tweeted that Russia’s closure of the bureau represents an “immense sadness for journalism, for the voice that we give Russians, and for the personnel who have always been loyal to us in Russia.”
CBC public affairs spokesman Chuck Thompson echoed Fenlon’s comments. “This appears to be another step by Russia to stifle a free and independent press within its borders,” Thomson said in a written statement. “We are tremendously proud of the journalism our correspondents have produced in Russia over the past many years and we will continue to tell the story of Russia as best we can from outside the country.”
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