It’s nice to see people getting passionate about public broadcasting, but what went on this past weekend was something else. Some Canadians were losing their minds over a CBC call-in show.
Cross Country Checkup, hosted by Ian Hanomansing, teamed up with U.S. radio show The Middle to simulcast a live two-hour show on CBC, NPR stations and C-SPAN. The idea was to hear from listeners on both sides of the border about U.S. President Donald Trump’s offensive comments regarding his desire to see Canada become the 51st state.
Some Canadians were furious that the CBC would air such a program, even accusing the public broadcaster of treason and sedition. The CBC received hundreds of complaints before the show even went to air.
A large part of the problem, no doubt, was how the show was being promoted, with the title “51st State: A Cross Border Conversation” and the question “What does Canada as the 51st state mean to you?”
The question was massaged, correctly, to “What do you think of Trump’s comments about Canada becoming the 51st state?” Much better.
That didn’t stop the outrage. People felt the CBC was normalizing Mr. Trump’s tactics.
Mr. Hanomansing began the program by explaining that the CBC was not endorsing the idea in any way. I mean, duh. But things are so tense right now – and media literacy so poor – that Mr. Hanomansing had to explain the difference between taking questions and taking a stance.
Covering an issue does not equate to normalizing it. Not talking about it would be the real mistake.
The CBC was not asking: do you support joining the U.S.? They were asking people to share their thoughts, checking the temperature of Canadians and Americans. They were fulfilling the show’s mandate to reflect what the nation is talking about. And bonus – we got to hear what (some) Americans were thinking. This is precisely the important programming a public broadcaster can and should offer. Kudos!
The U.S. host explained that Americans might not know it, but Canadians have been boycotting U.S. goods and travel. That in and of itself was of value: to know that this is not watercooler fodder, even in border states.
The callers – Canadian and American – overwhelmingly slammed the 51st-state business. It was informative (and satisfying) to hear the disdain for Mr. Trump’s odious position from Americans (NPR listeners, sure, but still).
One caller from Saskatoon, who identified himself as a former oil-sands worker, said Mr. Trump’s idea would be good for Canada. He said many in his circle agree. Also good to know!
Canadians can put their heads in the sand about this nightmare, but the public broadcaster does not have that luxury. Throughout the broadcast, informed guests made it clear that this threat should not be ignored.
“Every Trump troll is a trial balloon,” NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson said.
“He doesn’t say stuff willy-nilly. It’s a test to see how far he can go, and he’s serious about Canada becoming the 51st state,” said Heidi Heitkamp, a former Democratic senator from North Dakota who suggested Mr. Trump might be after Canada’s minerals, or oil and gas. “It is dangerous,” she warned. She has worked with Mr. Trump, including on the negotiation of the USMCA.
Informed outrage came from David Frum, the Canadian-American writer for The Atlantic. He said Mr. Trump’s ideas are meant to troll, offend and provoke. “They’re also primitive. And false.”
Even Kevin O’Leary, reality TV personality and Mar-a-Lago visitor who is disdained by many, was an interesting addition, even if I was (literally) screaming at the radio as he spoke, especially when he referred to the Canadian dollar as “Trudeau pesos.” So gross. We should reject wholeheartedly his assertion that this is an opportunity for Canadians. Still, his observations of Mr. Trump have value. He said the President dislikes Justin Trudeau “immensely.” And that “shooting barbs at him doesn’t work,” he said. “Trump is just sitting here watching Trudeau send out these tweets to him that he doesn’t like. It’s not helping anything.”
We need to take this seriously, Canada, as Mr. Trudeau warned (from his hot mic). And that’s what the CBC was doing.
The tariffs are coming. The economy could be upended. This is happening. It’s an emergency. We’re hearing about it in the Liberal leadership debates. The public broadcaster not only has every right to cover it, it has an obligation to do so.
It was great, stay-in-the-car radio: Informative, lively, professionally handled. And it was civil – unlike the “discussions” people are having on social media. I walked away knowing more than I did going in. The CBC, our public broadcaster, performed a public service that day.