CBC funding secure, heritage minister says

Conservative Heritage Minister James Moore says his government believes in the CBC as a key cultural institution and has no plans to cut its funding following his party's recent electoral victory.

"We believe in the national public broadcaster. We have said that we will maintain or increase support for the CBC. That is our platform and we have said that before and we will commit to that," Moore told CBC News in Vancouver on Tuesday morning.

"The CBC is the infrastructure around which Canadian arts and culture is built, so of course it is central and it is key," he said.

"It is essential for respect for all of our official languages and all of the regions of the country — broadcasting in aboriginal languages in the North," said Moore.

"The CBC is one of the largest Crown corporations in the country. It is the largest corporation that I have been responsible for as the minister of Canadian heritage.… We have a great relationship and I look forward to that continuing," he said.

In  February Moore spoke out in favour of the CBC's five-year plan, proposing increased investment in the regions, in digital technology and in Canadian programming, but scolded the CBC over its continuing problems meeting freedom of information requests.