CBC president and board must go: Unions

The Star's Jacques Gallant writes:

"The two unions representing the vast majority of CBC and Radio-Canada employees across the country are calling for CBC president Hubert Lacroix and the entire board of directors to step down, and are launching a petition on the matter amongst its members.

"The petition, obtained by the Star, lists a number of grievances, including:

failure to defend public broadcasting and a shift towards privatization;

haste in imposing the previous Conservative government’s budgetary cuts;

the sale of CBC/Radio-Canada properties and an end to in-house production;

laying off more than 2,100 employees between 2009 and 2010, 1,300 between 2014 and 2015, and the planned departure of more than 1,000 workers between now and 2020;

“'We concluded that (Lacroix and the board) no longer have legitimacy,' Isabelle Montpetit, president of Syndicat des communications de Radio-Canada, told the Star. That union represents most of Radio-Canada’s employees in Quebec and New Brunswick.

"She noted that even while the incoming Liberal majority government has promised to reinvest in CBC/Radio-Canada, Lacroix and the board are continuing to move forward with cuts to staffing and production. "

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