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Quebec singer accuses CBC of racism
Mar 06, 2008 06:30 PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL–A legendary Quebec singer who says he hoped music could bridge the two solitudes is calling CBC-TV "racist" for cutting all of the francophone singers out of a Toronto concert broadcast.
Claude Dubois said he was shocked Monday when he watched CBC's taped broadcast of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame gala and found that the francophone performances had failed to make the show.
This led to a tirade in Le Journal de Montreal where Dubois proclaimed that francophone Quebecers are "like a stain for the anglophones of Toronto."
Dubois, who joined Paul Anka as modern-era inductees at the hall of fame, was still outraged today but he directed his ire at the CBC instead of Toronto.
"Imagine a gala where we invite several anglophone artists but we take them off the air because they're anglophones," Dubois told The Canadian Press.
"We call that racism."
Dubois charged the decision to leave out the francophone performances was an overtly political one, which sends a sinister message to Quebecers.
"It goes beyond racism," he said. "It's a bit like saying we want Quebec without the Quebecers."
The CBC denied there was anything to the decision other than programming considerations.
"The broadcast was an attempt to capture a three-hour gala in 44 minutes," said CBC spokesman Jeff Keay. "Both us and the songwriters' association recognized that it was impossible to fit everyone in and we agreed upon who would be included."
He pointed out that a lengthy tribute to jazz legend Oscar Peterson, who died last December, cut into the time available for other performances. Ultimately the CBC had to consider its audience.
"This was a broadcast on CBC English television aimed at an anglophone audience," Keay said.
"The consensus view between us and the Songwriters Hall of Fame was to focus on musicians and music most familiar to an anglophone audience."
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame indicated it tried to convince CBC executives to include Dubois’s performance on account of the popularity of his latest album, which has sold some 250,000 copies.
They learned of CBC’s decision less than two hours before the gala.
“In fairness they considered it,” said Peter Steinmetz, the group’s chairman and an executive producer of the gala.
“They will tell you it was a decision taken jointly with us and that would not be untruthful,” he added. “But we have no power to drive that decision.”
CBC executives have repeatedly blocked the hall of fame’s attempts to air its bilingual gala in its entirety. But Steinmetz acknowledged that compromise is necessary as no other broadcaster is interested in picking it up.
“The only people that gave us the time of day were CBC, the English network,” he said.
“We could not even get in the door of Radio-Canada. Our French directors tried to get a French broadcaster and failed.”
Dubois' career spans more than 40 years and includes performances with such leading Quebec singers as Gilles Vigneault.
He has been described as Quebec's "last authentic bohemian" and its "first real punk."
Mar 06, 2008 06:30 PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL–A legendary Quebec singer who says he hoped music could bridge the two solitudes is calling CBC-TV "racist" for cutting all of the francophone singers out of a Toronto concert broadcast.
Claude Dubois said he was shocked Monday when he watched CBC's taped broadcast of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame gala and found that the francophone performances had failed to make the show.
This led to a tirade in Le Journal de Montreal where Dubois proclaimed that francophone Quebecers are "like a stain for the anglophones of Toronto."
Dubois, who joined Paul Anka as modern-era inductees at the hall of fame, was still outraged today but he directed his ire at the CBC instead of Toronto.
"Imagine a gala where we invite several anglophone artists but we take them off the air because they're anglophones," Dubois told The Canadian Press.
"We call that racism."
Dubois charged the decision to leave out the francophone performances was an overtly political one, which sends a sinister message to Quebecers.
"It goes beyond racism," he said. "It's a bit like saying we want Quebec without the Quebecers."
The CBC denied there was anything to the decision other than programming considerations.
"The broadcast was an attempt to capture a three-hour gala in 44 minutes," said CBC spokesman Jeff Keay. "Both us and the songwriters' association recognized that it was impossible to fit everyone in and we agreed upon who would be included."
He pointed out that a lengthy tribute to jazz legend Oscar Peterson, who died last December, cut into the time available for other performances. Ultimately the CBC had to consider its audience.
"This was a broadcast on CBC English television aimed at an anglophone audience," Keay said.
"The consensus view between us and the Songwriters Hall of Fame was to focus on musicians and music most familiar to an anglophone audience."
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame indicated it tried to convince CBC executives to include Dubois’s performance on account of the popularity of his latest album, which has sold some 250,000 copies.
They learned of CBC’s decision less than two hours before the gala.
“In fairness they considered it,” said Peter Steinmetz, the group’s chairman and an executive producer of the gala.
“They will tell you it was a decision taken jointly with us and that would not be untruthful,” he added. “But we have no power to drive that decision.”
CBC executives have repeatedly blocked the hall of fame’s attempts to air its bilingual gala in its entirety. But Steinmetz acknowledged that compromise is necessary as no other broadcaster is interested in picking it up.
“The only people that gave us the time of day were CBC, the English network,” he said.
“We could not even get in the door of Radio-Canada. Our French directors tried to get a French broadcaster and failed.”
Dubois' career spans more than 40 years and includes performances with such leading Quebec singers as Gilles Vigneault.
He has been described as Quebec's "last authentic bohemian" and its "first real punk."
TABARNAC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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