On Saturday, the Canadian government expressed “concern” about the broadcast of the Russian news channel “RT” (Russia Today) in its territory, accusing it of being a spokesman for the Kremlin.
“I share the concerns of many Canadians about the presence of Russia today on our broadcast system,” Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said on Twitter.
RT is regularly targeted in the West for contributing to disinformation, and it is being targeted by many European countries, especially since the recent invasion of Ukraine by the forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As calls mounted in Canada to ban the broadcast of this Russian TV channel, the minister, a close friend of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said: “We are evaluating all options.”
Although “RT” is currently on the list of approved non-Canadian services, its broadcasting license is “franchise (can) be withdrawn”, Canadian audio-visual regulator, Council of Broadcasting and Communications (CRT).
Broadcast bans can be decided, in particular, in the event of non-compliance with the obligation to “deliver news accurately and impartially,” CRT reported.
More and more countries have turned off state-funded Russian electricity in recent weeks.
On Friday, Finland’s main TV access provider suspended its broadcasts, while London, for its part, this Wednesday requested a review by regulator Ofcom of the license granted to RT.
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