Ottawa, January 12, 1999 – The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) today released its decision concerning a segment of “Tom Clark’s Canada” aired by CFTO-TV during its early evening newscast. The segment in question discussed Canada’s immigration and refugee policies in the aftermath of a report aired on Czech TV which promoted Canada as a safe haven for Roma gypsies. A viewer complained that, in the course of a conversation between host Tom Clark and BBS Commentator Mike Duffy included in the segment, Mike Duffy made “derogatory and demeaning comments ... concerning immigrants and refugees”, pointing to Mr. Duffy’s comment [paraphrased] that “Everybody and their dog can come to Canada”.
The Ontario Regional Council considered the complaint under the Codes of Ethics of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). The Council noted that it “would be hard pressed to find Mike Duffy’s commentary discriminatory, much less abusively discriminatory.”
... [T]he Council finds that Mr. Duffy’s remarks did not focus on Roma gypsies. Rather, they targeted Canada’s refugee policy and the passive response of the Minister of Immigration to the Czech report which made Canada “the flavour of the month”. Such an expression of political views falls squarely within the ambit of freedom of expression.
With respect to Mr. Duffy’s use of the vernacular expression “everyone and their dog”, the Council noted that
This common slang phrase is customarily used to describe something as being non-restrictive, or all-inclusive, and would rarely, if ever, be understood as equating anyone to canine status. While on “first listening” one could recognize the potential for misinterpretation, a review of the transcript makes it clear that, in his commentary, Mr. Duffy was not using the phrase to describe the Roma gypsies or any other specific group of potential immigrants to Canada derogatorily, but rather the broad-minded or wide-open immigration policy itself, which, as he noted earlier, has “been part of our history.”
Canada’s private broadcasters have created industry standards in the form of Codes on ethics, gender portrayal and television violence by which they expect their members will abide. They also created the CBSC, which is the self-regulatory body with the responsibility of administering those Codes, as well as the Code dealing with journalistic practices created by the Radio Television News Directors Association Canada (RTNDA). More than 430 radio and television stations and specialty services from across Canada are members of the Council.
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All CBSC decisions, Codes, links to members’ and other web sites, and related information are available on the World Wide Web at www.cbsc.ca. For more information, please contact the National Chair of the CBSC, Ron Cohen, at (###) ###-####.