[FlameOn]

CRTC moves to remove Russia Today and Russia Today French channels from Canadian broadcast. Both Shaw and Telus will be removing them from their channel lineups shortly.

Television channel RT, previously known as Russia Today, was removed Wednesday from the list of programming services and stations authorized by The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

The broadcast regulator said in a statement that it was “concerned with programming from a foreign country that seeks to undermine the sovereignty of another country, demean Canadians of a particular ethnic background and undermine democratic institutions within Canada.”

Some carriers had already voluntarily removed the Russian state-controlled international television network, which has been authorized for distribution since 2009, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month.

The CRTC initiated a public consultation March 3.

“Freedom of speech and a range of perspectives are a necessary part of our democracy. However, it is a privilege and not a right to be broadcast in Canada,” said Ian Scott, chairperson and chief executive of the CRTC. “Foreign channels can be removed from the authorized list should their programming not be consistent with the standards to which Canadian services are held, or their continued distribution no longer serves the public interest, as was the case for RT and RT France.”

https://financialpost.com/telecom/me...s%20Commission.