Boreal

A Complaint Against The CBC For Slandering CSIS

January 10, 2008 - If you have read my reviews of the previous nineteen episodes you already know that most of what is said and shown on Little Mosque is a lie. Good satire is anchored in reality, when it is not, it is just a lie.

There was one lie which was so outrageous and so misleading that I felt compelled to bring it to the attention of the CRTC because the CBC is actively marketing Little Mosque to countries where they won’t know it’s a lie and it will only re-enforce prejudice against law-enforcement in Canada.

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To: CRTC

From: Bernard Payeur

Date Registered: 2007-11-23 08:26:55

Date Arrived: 2007-11-23

Message: Spy Something or Get Out (November 20 at 8:30PM)

Are the writers of the Little Mosque on The Prairie prescient or just lucky. Did they know before writing this episode that Canada’s national and international reputation for judicious law enforcement would suffer a serious black eye due to the RCMP accidentally tasering a distraught man to death and they would get to pile it on.

Were they just lucky when in this latest episode they suggested the RCMP’s sister agency CSIS would launch a full scale assault on a village mosque because the imam has yet to decide how profits from the recently opened mosque bookstore would be spent.

Worse still, the imam is physically restrained and threatened, by a goon caricature of a CSIS agent, for pumping his fist in the air because the raid means his mosque is now “on the map.”

And worse still, dressing CSIS agents (it could be RCMP officers it’s impossible to tell) in all-black uniforms with no identifying marks, reminiscent of the fascist “blackshirts” of Mussolini.

To my knowledge the RCMP or CSIS have never raided a single mosque.

The CBC has announced that the Little Mosque on The Prairie, if it is not already, will soon be airing in the West Bank, Gaza, Dubai and Turkey. Al Jazeera has confirm that other Muslim countries such as the United Arab Emirates are interested in obtaining the rights to broadcast Little Mosque On The Prairie. Who is the CBC catering to with such a biased, unflattering portrayal of Canada’s police and security forces.

Good satire is always anchored in reality, if it isn’t, it’s just a lie.

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From: CRTC

Sent: Thu 29/11/2007 10:47 AM

Subject: Your message of 11/23/2007 8:26:55 AM (Case ID 370106)

Dear Mr. Payeur:

Thanks for contacting the CRTC with your concerns.

It's the broadcasters themselves - not the CRTC - who are responsible for the programming they provide. This is spelled out in the Broadcasting Act. Our job is to make sure broadcasters have acted responsibly - and to hold them accountable for their programming when it's called for.

In order to follow this matter, I am asking CBC by copy of this message, to respond directly to you within three weeks and to send us a copy of its reply for review by Commission staff. I am also asking that it hold a tape of the broadcast in question until your case is resolved. You will hear from us again if any regulatory action is required.

Your complaint and all related correspondence will be placed on CBC's public file at the end of three weeks. The Commission may review it at licence renewal time and interested parties may consult the file at any time. In accordance with your rights under the Privacy Act, you may refuse to have your correspondence placed on such a file. If that is the case, please contact us within three weeks of the date of this response by clicking on the link provided below, by mail, fax or telephone, quoting the reference number. Please note that the Commission may not be able to pursue your complaint if all correspondence cannot be made public.

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Sincerely,

Suzanne...

CRTC Client Services

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From: Regulatory Affairs ...

Sent: Fri 14/12/2007 11:17 AM

Subject: CRTC File #370106 - Payeur, B

Re: CRTC File #370106

Dear Mr. Payeur,

Thank you for your email to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission regarding an episode of the CBC Television comedy series, Little Mosque on the Prairie. The CRTC has asked the CBC to respond to you directly.

We were sorry to read your impressions of this episode. Little Mosque on the Prairie is a comedic drama about a small Muslim community in a Canadian prairie town called Mercy. While the creator has based the series on her personal experiences, the program is nevertheless fiction. The humour stems from the interactions between all of the residents of this small town, Muslim and non-Muslim, alike. At its heart, the program is about the universal theme of "getting along". Of course, comedy is always in the eye of the beholder, and we respect your right to not find this program funny.

Again, thank you for writing with your opinion of this episode. CBC welcomes all audience feedback about its programming. We have included your email in a report that circulates weekly among all senior executives, producers and programmers at CBC, including the President and CEO.

Sincerely,

Denis...

Communications Officer

CBC Audience Relations

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From: Bernard Payeur

To: Regulatory Affairs ...

Sent: Sun 16/12/2007 9:06 AM

Subject: CRTC File #370106 - Payeur, B

Dan Quayle really ruined it for legitimate criticism of propaganda masquerading as entertainment. It is now the go-to excuse for telling lies. It’s not a lie, it’s a joke that may or may not have anything to do with reality. Too bad you don’t get it.

By all means, have your cake and eat it too. I do get it. What you don’t get is that a joke in bad taste is not a joke for most of us, and in the context of the Little Mosque On The Prairie only serves to reinforce stereotypes against non-Muslims and that is worrisome.

You response is completely unsatisfactory for it does not address the central issue of the Little Mosque’s prejudicial portrayal of Western values and way of life and saying I don’t appreciate the humour is beside the point.

Bernard Payeur

Ottawa