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OTTAWA, Wed Feb 16, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “While Evangelicals have shown a high tolerance for comment, critique and even ridicule of our sincerely held beliefs, it is still expected that journalists purporting to report unbiased news actually make an effort to do so,” said Don Hutchinson, Vice-President and General Legal Counsel for The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), this week.

The EFC has filed a complaint with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) over the content of a CBC French language network (Radio-Canada) program called “Enquête.” They will also be filing a further complaint with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which they have learned has oversight over the CBC.

In the episode named “A la droite de Harper,” broadcast on February 10, 2011, journalist Brigitte Bureau presented what the EFC called “a half-hour documentary vilifying Canadian evangelicals.” The EFC said the program, which portrayed evangelicals as having privileged access to parliamentarians, depicted evangelical Canadian Christians in a stereotypical and discriminatory fashion based on their religion.

“Had Ms. Brigitte Bureau and her producers completed a simple internet search, they would have found that the controversial issues they focused on during the program are actually issues and practices that are not necessarily representative of broader Canadian Evangelicalism,” Hutchinson said in a press release.

“While Evangelicals comprise a minority in Canada, about 12% of the population, we are a very diverse minority. The movement has grown over the last half century to encompass a widening diversity of beliefs and traditions.”

Hutchinson observed in a blog posting on Feb 14, that CBC Radio-Canada television “plumbed new depths in their program Enquête, with journaliste Brigitte Bureau creating ‘news’ rather than reporting the news with a half hour documentary attack on select Christians engaging in the public square, particularly with Parliament.”

Bloc Quebecois Member of Parliament Pierre Paquette (Joliette) picked up on the content of the Radio-Canada program with a remark in the House of Commons on the same day “Enquête” was broadcast.

“Mr. Speaker, a report from the show Enquête uncovered the close ties between the Conservative Party and fundamentalist ministers, some of whom—as we saw in the program—are verging on hysteria. We learned that a number of evangelical leaders have privileged access to Conservative members and senators, and use that access to influence federal politics,” Paquette said.

“Is it not worrisome to see all these fundamentalist groups circling around the Conservative government, trying to change legislation to impose their religious values?” he asked.

Hutchinson pointed out that the Enquête report focused on one evangelical activist who is not a registered lobbyist. But “many faith-based groups, including the EFC, are registered under the Lobbyists Registration Act and their activities are reported and publicly available,” he said. “These groups participate in the democratic process, without seeking special access or privileges, all while remaining in compliance with appropriate legislation and policies.”

“The simplistic and selective portrayal of one minority cultural or religious group has never benefitted any truly pluralistic and multicultural society. Free expression, however colourful its content, is necessary in a free and democratic society, and so is journalistic integrity,” Hutchinson explained.

EFC is charging that the content of the show contravenes the Canadian Broadcasters Association’s Code of Ethics, the Equitable Portrayal Code and the Radio Television News Directors Association of Canada’s Code of Ethics.

Hutchinson told LifeSiteNews that the EFC hopes their complaint will result in a reminder to broadcasters that they must treat all identifiable groups, including Christians, with respect and fairness.

He said that it “is our reasonable expectation” that the decision of the responsible bodies “will align with previous decisions … to remind the CBC, and other broadcasters, that evangelical Christians and other Canadians of faith are to be covered in media with the same respect and fairness as any other identifiable group. This should be particularly true in regard to news coverage.”

Link to the EFC’s CBSC complaint here.

Watch the CBC Radio-Canada program Enquête here.

Link to MP Pierre Paquette’s remarks in the official Hansard here.

Contact info for MP Pierre Paquette:

Parliament Hill Office:
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 996-6910
Fax: (613) 995-2818
EMail: [email protected]

Constituency Office:
371 Notre-Dame Street Suite 210 (Main Office)
Joliette, Québec J6E 3H5
Telephone: (450) 752-1940
Fax: (450) 752-1719