Mr. Chair, I respect Mr. Shields, and I will withdraw this. Mrs. Thomas should be doing the same thing with her despicable attacks against CBC journalists and some of her comments today.
Mr. Chair, given that we are nearing the end—and I certainly appreciate the extra time that was given—I want to move the following motion. It was circulated as a notice of motion. I move:
That the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage affirms:
That CBC/Radio-Canada journalists and crew members are risking their lives every day in the Middle East covering the Israel-Hamas conflict and the horrific events impacting Israelis and Palestinians.
That CBC/Radio-Canada journalists have received or been nominated for over 200 prestigious national journalism awards in the past five years, such as Canadian Association of Journalists Awards, Radio Television Digital News Association National Awards, National Native Media Awards and National Association of Black Journalists Awards.
That the independence of CBC/Radio-Canada journalists from political interference, is protected in the Broadcasting Act Sec 46(5), which states that—The Corporation shall, in pursuit of its objects and in the exercise of its powers, enjoy freedom of expression and journalistic, creative, and programming independence.