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Fox News could be banned from Canadian cable. Here’s why

FILE-Tucker Carlson attends the final round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., Sunday, July 31, 2022. Fox News says it has agreed to part ways with Tucker Carlson, less than a week after settling a lawsuit over the network’s 2020 election reporting. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

A public consultation to ban American news channel Fox News from Canadian cable has been launched by the country’s radio and television regulator, following backlash of the network’s coverage on the LGBTQ2S+ community.

On May 4, the Canadian Radio-television commission (CRTC) began the consultation after receiving an open letter from advocacy group Egale Canada last month. 

Late March, Egale Canada and a Canadian leader for trans rights and inclusion were featured on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News.

According to the group’s open letter, “The coverage aimed to provoke hatred and violence against 2SLGBTQI communities, particularly those who are Two Spirit, trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming (2STNBGN).” 

“During the segment, Carlson made the inflammatory and false claim that trans people are “targeting” Christians…The segment also contained a range of other malicious misinformation about 2STNBGN people, including that trans people are given preferential treatment in employment and other opportunities,” continued the letter.

On Apr. 24, Fox news announced it “agreed to part ways” with Tucker Carlson.

“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” a Fox News Media spokesperson said in a statement. 

The network did not provide further reasons for Carlson’s departure. 

Egale Canada is asking the CRTC to investigate and in turn ban the American news network as it believes the programming is a violation of Canadian broadcasting standards. 

“People in Canada deserve to know that the news broadcast on Canadian airwaves is reliable and objective, and marginalized groups must be protected from malicious propaganda,” Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, said in the open letter. 

“Given the rising levels of anti-trans hate around the world and the potential for segments like the one recently aired on Fox News, there needs to be a serious Canadian conversation about the broadcasting of Fox News in Canada,” she continued. 

People are taking to Twitter to share their thoughts on the potential American network ban on Canadian television. 

One user’s tweet says “I’ve been saying this for ages, Fox news is propaganda and needs to be banned.” 

Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party of Canada says, “no politician or bureaucrat in Canada should have the power to ban you from choosing what channel or network to watch.”

Another Twitter user believes the entire ordeal is a display of hypocrisy by Canadian Conservatives. 

“Hypocrisy is Canadian Conservatives lamenting a CRTC public comment period to delist mandatory carriage and listing of FOX NEWS while actively supporting defunding CBC/CBC RADIO CANADA,” the tweet reads. 

Canadian Radio-television commission (CRTC) will be accepting public comments on the consultation until June 2. 

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