The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is a crown corporation.  That means it is owned by the Government of Canada.

Crown corporation are typically created to provide a service for the public good which can operate on a for profit model.

The opposite of this would be agovernment agency, created to provide a specific essential service or services without the expectation of profit.  Usually they are operated as cost recovery, if even that.

An example of this is Canada Post.  It started out as an agency of the goverment.  Obviously delivering mail and parcels was a critical service that clearly served a general need shared by the majority of citizens.

Over time courier services became more abundant, competative and affordable.  The government switched the postal service (an agency) to a crown corporation with the intent it compete and transform to a viable for profit operation.  The jury is still out on that one but the idea is sound.

Back to the CBC

In the liberal government budget tabled on Tuesday significant funding was restored to the CBC.  $75 million this year and $150 million a year until 2021.

This level of funding to an agency providing a desperately needed sevice at cost could make sense.  This level of funding to a for profit crown corporation which does not provide an essential nor unique service is ludicrous.

Bad one Mr. Trudeau.  (I am not too chumped about the $1000 tax deduction to teachers for work expenses – I wonder if the fact he used to be a teacher himself is a contributing factor.)