Create a Tax Exemption for Those Threatened by the CBC’s Bias Against Natural Therapies

Create a Tax Exemption for Those Threatened by the CBC’s Bias Against Natural Therapies

Started
December 2, 2021
Petition to
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, MP and 5 others
Signatures: 1,616Next Goal: 2,500
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Why this petition matters

The purpose of this petition is to generate the public pressure required to create a federal tax exemption for those whose persons, livelihoods, and access to natural therapies are being undermined by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) bias against Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 

Please ensure that you respond to the signature verification email you will receive after signing.  If you do not, your signature will not be counted.

We, the undersigned, demand the right to no longer financially contribute to an organization that is publicly attacking us - personally and/or professionally - or intentionally disrupting our access to the health therapies and products we, the public, choose. We are asking the Government of Canada to create a federal tax exemption that enables taxpayers to abstain from paying the percentage of their income tax that is allocated to the CBC.

In 2019/2020, the CBC received federal government appropriations of $1,098,100,000 for operating capital, $106,900,000 for capital expenses, and 4,000,000 for working capital. That’s a total of $2,207,100,000 (two billion, two hundred and seven million, one hundred thousand) paid by approximately 27 million tax-paying Canadians at a cost of $81.84 each. (Source: https://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/impact-and-accountability/finances/annual-reports/ar-2019-2020/financial-sustainability/revenue-and-other-funds)

Canadians: Financially Supporting a National Media That is Undermining Them

·       The CBC appears to be systemically biased against natural, complementary, and alternative therapies and does not provide Canadians with a balanced approach in its reporting on these topics.

·       This bias is not representative of Canadian values or behaviours considering that 79 percent of Canadians have engaged a practitioner for a complementary or alternative therapy and that more than 80 percent of Canadians consistently consume at least one natural health product.

·       Several CBC reporters, e.g., Bethany Lindsay, Charles Russell, and Jennie Russell, have caused irreversible harm to practitioners, practices, and/or organizations. From April 2018 to March 2020, CBC BC published at least 30 such articles by Bethany Lindsay. None of the 30 stories were based on an incident of injury or death; rather, the majority were the result of subjective and unprovoked scrutiny. We understand that freedom of the press is a fundamental component of a just and healthy society; however, it is unjust and ironic that the victims of self-serving journalists have no choice but to financially support those exploiting them.

·       The CBC’s persistent attacks fail to recognize the fact that no Canadian has ever been fatally harmed by a complementary or alternative practice or product that has been properly administered.

·       The CBC’s reporting on complementary and alternative medicine fails to bring balance to Canadian awareness by omitting the serious or life-threatening risks associated with common conventional practices:

1.       over-prescription and dependence on pharmaceutical drugs;

2.       omission of warnings of irreversible organ damage, particularly of the liver and kidneys, resulting from long term use of pharmaceutical drugs;

3.       treating initial, reversible chronic disease with potentially harmful pharmaceutical drugs rather than achievable lifestyle changes;

4.       prescription of opioids for pain management as the only option when research indicates that safer complementary and alternative methods are more effective and significantly less risky.

The Ombudsman: Supporting the Bias

The CBC Ombudsman, appointed to ensure the CBC’s stated values of “accuracy, fairness, balance, impartiality, and integrity” in its journalism, supports the bias and allows it to continue through a consistent lack of disciplinary action.

Action

Send the Government of Canada a strong message that you do not want to continue to support a public media organization that consistently attacks you, your profession, your livelihood, or your alternative or complementary therapies of choice - resulting in lack of access. Please sign the petition, leave a comment telling your story, send the link to your MP (https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en), and share, share, share!

*When commenting, please refrain from referencing COVID-related public policy. Doing so will ultimately undermine our efforts.

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Signatures: 1,616Next Goal: 2,500
Support now
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Decision Makers

  • The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, MP
  • The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, MP
  • The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, MPMinister of Health
  • Consultations and Communications Branch, Department of Finance Canada
  • Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat