Let’s be honest: CBC’s current model is a relic. Seventy percent government-funded, it’s a political football—kicked between Liberal lifelines and Conservative defunding threats. The 2025 budget debates, projected from the national anxiety over global trade and tariff threats, show the perennial problem: funding discussions are about Ottawa’s political priorities, not the needs of the network or the public. Cuts persist, and trust erodes.
Why? Because forcing a one-size-fits-all narrative—whether it’s the government’s spin or the opposition’s axe—alienates the very people it serves. Activism might scream “defund now!” or “fund forever!” but it’s a shouting match that stalls progress. As I’ve long argued, shoving ideology down throats breeds resistance, not solutions.
Contr…
Let’s be honest: CBC’s current model is a relic. Seventy percent government-funded, it’s a political football—kicked between Liberal lifelines and Conservative defunding threats. The 2025 budget debates, projected from the national anxiety over global trade and tariff threats, show the perennial problem: funding discussions are about Ottawa’s political priorities, not the needs of the network or the public. Cuts persist, and trust erodes.
Why? Because forcing a one-size-fits-all narrative—whether it’s the government’s spin or the opposition’s axe—alienates the very people it serves. Activism might scream “defund now!” or “fund forever!” but it’s a shouting match that stalls progress. As I’ve long argued, shoving ideology down throats breeds resistance, not solutions.
Contrast that with advocacy’s power. It’s passionate but open, building bridges through dialogue and adaptation. Cooperatives embody this—think worker-owned cafes weathering trade wars or housing co-ops rebuilding after wildfires. CBC could be the same: a multi-stakeholder co-op where journalists, regional producers, and users co-own the mission. No guilt trips, no ultimatums—just a shared stake in Canada’s story.
The stubborn Canada Post strike, which has been dragging into its third week as of October, hints at the hunger for this: workers want ownership and security, not just wage handouts. Why not CBC too?
The co-op model fits like a glove. The International Cooperative Alliance’s principles—democratic member control, member education, concern for community—mirror what CBC could be: a network owned by those who create and consume it.
- Tariffs threatening ad revenue? A co-op diversifies with user subs.
- Job cuts looming? Worker-owners vote to reinvest profits.
- Regional voices fading? Producers from Halifax to Whitehorse get equity stakes.
It’s not about dismantling CBC—it’s about retooling it for resilience, relevance, and trust. Let’s see how this might look by 2030.
A Day in the Life of CBC Coop: The 2030 Vision
Fast-forward to that snowy 2030 morning. The Commons buzzes with purpose. Here’s how CBC Coop works, blending three stakeholder pillars into a cohesive whole:
Workers as Storytellers (40% Voting Power)
Journalists, producers, and tech crews—anyone on payroll—earn equity shares vesting over three years. No more top-down edicts from faceless execs. Editorial boards rotate annually, elected by guild votes. In Regina, the ag team scraps a fluffy urban sprawl piece because it ignores Prairie water wars—a decision rooted in local expertise, not Ottawa’s agenda.
Pay? Transparent tiers averaging $85K, up 20% from 2025 lows, with profit pools split by output and mentorship. It’s Defector Media’s scrappy success—worker-driven, ad-light, thriving on subs—scaled nationally. When the 2028 recession hit, there were no mass layoffs; co-ops weather downturns 30% better (per ILO stats), thanks to shared risk. They simply voted to reduce pay-outs and maintain jobs.
Producers/Regional Hubs as Equals (30% Power)
Coast-to-coast “nodes” own their beats. Vancouver beams Pacific salmon scoops, Iqaluit covers Inuit land claims, Toronto dives into urban pulse—all syndicated via a central HQ in Ottawa that handles shared costs (tech, archives) like a federated co-op.
It’s producer co-op vibes: Each hub elects a rep to the assembly, pooling resources à la Desjardins credit unions. Halifax leads on Atlantic fisheries, splitting 70/30 revenue with Central. No more “fly-in, file-out” hacks; locals own the narrative, cutting carbon footprints and boosting trust—viewer retention leaps 35%. When tariffs tanked Maritimes exports in ’26, Halifax’s crew pivoted to trade impact documentaries, winning Geminis and policy nods.
Users/Communities as Guardians (30% Power)
You, the listener, hold the reins. Subscribe for $10/month—ad-free access, early podcasts, voting rights on big calls like ad policies or emergency coverage (e.g., wildfire alerts during BC’s ’28 blazes). Community reps from co-ops—farmers, First Nations, SMBs—join via lotteries, ensuring no echo chamber.
Funding blends 60% subscriptions (2 million members by 2029), 25% ethical sponsors (green energy co-ops, not Big Oil), and 15% from a statutory heritage grant, secured post-2027 as a public good, not a political pawn. It’s taz-style reader ownership: When users voted emergency funds for trade docs in ’26, it sparked a national conversation—and revenue.
The Payoff
By 2030, CBC Coop’s $125 million deficit? History. Revenues climb 25% via niche pods (“Tariff Talks” with Carney alums) and co-branded events (live debates at food co-ops). Job security? Solid—600+ rehired since ’27. Independence? Ironclad—critics can’t slap “state media” labels when users and workers own the mic. Culturally, it’s a revelation: Aisha’s salmon series morphs into a food sovereignty push, linking Haida kelp to Nunavut caribou.
The guiding principle is no longer “Ottawa knows best”; it’s “We all know best.”
From Fantasy to Reality: The Advocacy Path
This isn’t sci-fi—it’s achievable by December 2025 if we lean into advocacy, not activism.
Activism might demand “defund CBC!” or “bail it out!”—polarizing moves that fracture trust, a pattern we see in stalled labour talks like the recent Canada Post strike. Advocacy, though? It builds consensus.
Imagine a cross-party task force—sparked by your op-eds—drafting the Co-op Conversion Act by spring 2026. Picture CMC (Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada) piloting with Radio-Canada’s French nodes, testing worker-user governance. Envision a crowdfunded seed loan bridging the capital gap, with Vancity credit union chipping in as the anchor investor.
The hurdles? Early governance snags and securing startup cash. But that’s co-op maturity: Listen, adapt, thrive. Data backs this—Desjardins grew assets 10% in 2024 amid downturns, proving co-ops’ edge. CBC Coop could mirror that, dodging tariff-hit ad losses and AI-driven freelance cuts. It’s not about burning bridges; it’s about building them—inviting journalists, producers, and you, the viewer, to co-own the future.
Why This Matters for Canada
CBC isn’t just a broadcaster—it’s a cultural heartbeat. Yet, as tariffs loom (with the threat of a Trump-era 25% hit still hanging over the USMCA review) and regional divides widen, it’s at risk of becoming a relic.
A co-op model counters that:
- It empowers workers with equity, not layoffs.
- It gives regional hubs a voice, not neglect.
- It provides communities with choice, not mandates.
It’s a laboratory for social change, proving passion doesn’t need polarization—advocacy does the heavy lifting.
Look at the Canada Post strike: Workers crave ownership, not ultimatums. CBC’s journalists echo that—why not give them stakes? Look at Nova Scotia’s wildfires: Co-op housing rebuilt faster with member funds; a co-op CBC could prioritize such stories. This is bigger than media. It’s about redefining how Canada tells its story—democratically, collaboratively, sustainably.
Conclusion: Own the Mic, Shape the Future
As 2025 winds down, the air’s thick with uncertainty—tariffs, strikes, budget battles. CBC stands at a crossroads: fade as a government pawn or rise as a co-op champion. Activism’s ideological push might grab headlines, but it fractures the community it claims to serve. Advocacy, with its dialogue and adaptability, builds the trust needed for progress.
Imagine CBC Coop by next December: A network where you vote on coverage, journalists own their desks, and regions lead the charge—all without a taxpayer bailout. It’s not a fantasy—it’s a choice.
So, I ask you: Will you push an agenda, or build a story together?Join a media co-op pilot—start with NB Media’s indie model, vote in their assemblies. Rally your MP for the Co-op Conversion Act. Drop your thoughts below: Worker-only, or full multi-stake? Let’s script this future, because Canada’s story deserves to be ours.
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Ludovic Viger is an Ottawa-based author and entrepreneur. His book, The Great Canadian Reset: How Co-Ops Can Save Canada’s Economy, explores cooperative models as pathways to economic democracy, drawing from global examples and Canadian contexts to propose resilient alternatives to corporate media dominance.