Manpower Canada is a job matching service where employers provide openings and employees search for jobs. I recall, as a high school student, going to one of their offices to look through paper job postings. I don’t if they were ever the same as EI, which was then UI.
This is prompted by my post about Evan Solomon’s termination and the responses to it.
I believe that the CBC is vital to Canada. I qualify this by saying that I’m speaking specifically of Radio One <-- a distinction that didn’t exist when I started listening to it.
When I started listening I could count on hearing news from around the country; the coast, the prairies, the middle and the maritimes. Living in, relatively, rural Manitoba I had no meaningful access to information related to anything other than Manitoba. My local paper was useless and become more so. I had neither the resources or ability to buy papers that covered other regions in a substantial way.
The CBC fulfilled that need.
My local paper is a Tory rag, and the news radio was the same, so what news I got was heavily slanted. The CBC provided balance in the news and provided much more detail about what was happening in Ottawa. It was a link to the rest of Canada that I lacked.
I learned about politics from the CBC.
Morningside with Peter Gzowski opened my eyes to culture outside of my community. I learned about what was happening in the rest of the country. I heard about hard news and cultural news from.
As It Happens and DNTO had an incredible impact on my cultural understanding of my country. I’d have never heard throat singing - for instance - but for the CBC.
Budget cuts from every government have cut into the utility of the CBC and reduced it’s relevance (can’t help but think that is intentional) because they are now reduced to constant repeats and rehashes.
I know the CBC I knew 20 years ago and can only imagine the CBC of 40 years ago and the degeneration of those years based on the degeneration of the CBC between 20 years ago and now.
It’s clear the way the wind is blowing and I am saddened.
I’ve only dealt with the CBC Radio without touching on the TV which introduced me to: Fraggle Rock, Sesamane Street, The Nature of Things, The Beachcombers and The Littlest Hobo.
CBC TV was also my introduction to the news via The National (I thought news was boring but Dad insisted on watching it :; )
Fifth Estate is one of my earliest memories (again boring shit as a kid) and it instilled in me a love of documentary that abides to this day.
I can’t believe that I am the only one of my generation that was educated and influenced by the CBC and I’m sorry that my kids don’t have access to the same quality and quantity of Canadian programing and information that I had.
I love the CBC and I mourn it’s death by a thousand budget cuts.
So let’s discuss the CBC’s place and relevance and place in the Canada of today.
Zeke
I read that article, and I’m not sure what the problem is. Is the CBC saying that he somehow used his position to get an advantage with his business? Or that he shouldn’t have opened a business in the first place? Or something else?
Hogarth That was an early and immediate “story” to explain the abrupt termination. Yay CBC :rolleyes:
As I understand it he was using his show as a means to further his art brokerage.
For instance he apparently got in touch with the CEO of RIM and said he’d like to have him on the show (RIM being very marginally related to the thrust of Power and Politics.) During the talks Solomon mentioned that he knew some art collectors and he could get CEO in touch with them. He never said he was acting as a broker or that he served to benefit from any purchases that may result.
The CEO never appeared on the show but Solomon did make commissions off of sales resulting from the talks. RIM’s CEO was never going to be on the show because RIM has no real relevance to Canadian politics. It was a slide in the side-door sales pitch.
Solomon had his clients, which he often met through the show, sign a contract that gave him a fee for specific introductions and also included a confidentially clause.
This would be tolerable in most professions but a journalist has a duty to be uninvolved with both their subjects and their interviewees. To use your position in the journalistic realm in order to bolster an unrelated business is a conflict of interest and, more importantly, a betrayal of trust.
TLDR - Evan Solomon used his primary job as a sort of front to promote his side business.
Zeke
Okay, that makes more sense. Thanks!
Manpower and Immigration was the Canadian government department which dealt with employment and job training. It existed from 1968 until it was merged with the Unemployment Insurance Commission in 1977 to form Employment and Immigration Canada. The private company and government department were frequently confused with each other and used to have signs in their offices notifying clients that they were NOT the other organization.
Bookkeeper, who started in UIC and, thanks to regular government reorganizations, has worked in 7 different government departments without actually needing to change jobs.
Well, certainly CBC Radio had an important historical role. But does it retain that role into the 21st century?
Nowadays, most Canadians I would think have access to the Internet, and obtain most of their connection to the world beyond their immediate community from there - not from the radio, or even from print newspapers.
The concern is that the eventual demise of such a broadcaster is sad from a purely nostalgic POV. Is nostalgia a valid reason to keep an institution alive at public expense? It could well be that the answer is “yes”, but over time it is going to become increasingly difficult to justify.
Here’s a nice music video by Chris Hadfield in anticipation of Canada day.
Enjoy.
Thanks for the link, Leaffan. Another great Hadfield video.
Great video. Thanks, Leaffan!
Happy Canada Day, everyone!
Happy Canada Day. Almost 150 now.
May all your fleurons be glorieux!
Enjoy your day, fellow Canucks!
Clan Piper plans to be in Ottawa for the 150th in 2017.
Yesterday (Tuesday), I got to see Chris Hatfield fly a vintage Canadian Sabre jet with the Snowbirds at the Gatineau airport.
Somewhat soggy celebration in a small town south of Ottawa then a fabulous porch party with friends in the same small town. Good food, various libations, and music (guitars, fiddles, bodhran, and keyboards)! 
For me, a nice day out in a national park. Hope everyone had a happy Canada Day!
Working post Canada Day sucks. Not that I’m hungover, but it’s having two mondays that blows. Blah. Had a nice CD, though. Burgers, shrimp, and a few Electric Ave lagers to wash it all down. Fireworks were pretty good despite the smoke from the forest fires…
Yeah, the weather here sucked this year: cold and rainy. Of course today it’s a beautiful 22 and sunny. Ah well, we drank, ate, drank, played cards, laughed, drank some more and are recuperating (off work) today. Still had a blast.