The main reason is that the CBC is an integral part of the system, meaning the Canadian broadcasting system, within which competition was wanted between the public broadcaster—the CBC—and the private entities. The CRTC was given the mandate under the Broadcasting Act to ensure that this system functions properly.
The example of the Olympic Games is an interesting one. It’s important to know that the Canadian broadcasters, the CBC like the others, were competing for the broadcasting rights for these Olympic Games. When determining whether a broadcaster is required to disclose certain information, we need to ask whether it is appropriate to place a company that is part of the broadcasting system in a situation where it could see its competitive position jeopardized by its obligation to disclose information that the others, private companies for example, are not required to disclose. The CRTC would therefore be in a better position to determine whether, out of the public interest, it is appropriate for broadcasting companies, public or private, to disclose some of their information to the public. But the CRTC must make sure that they do not reveal information that must remain undisclosed, so that competition within the Canadian broadcasting system functions properly.