"All The Way From Goose Bay"

I sent a strongly worded email to CBC last week, after making the unfortunate decision to turn the dial from CKOM infomercial to their "pop culture" program Definitely Not The Opera.

On good days, DNTO is insipid, snickering and self-absorbed, but last week's interview with octogenarian Labrador trapper Horace Goudie went far beyond that to offensive - even by CBC standards. Part of the piece involved a telephone coversation in which Goudy was introduced to one Grant Lawrence (in Toronto?), who proceeded to openly ridicule the elderly trapper, at one point asking if he'd ever "eaten beaver".

It looks like I wasn't alone.

From: cbcinput1@toronto.cbc.ca
Dear Kate McMillan:

Thank you very much for your email regarding the recent Definitely Not The Opera broadcast from Goose Bay, Labrador. We have been in contact with the producer, who has asked us to share this
message with you.

We received a lot of feedback on the special show from Goose Bay in general, and on Grant Lawrence's conversation with Horace Goudie in particular.

Grant Lawrence is a regular contributor to the show, and he sometimes exaggerates his inner ignorant urbanite for satirical effect. In this case, his comments were intended to satirize urban dwellers who fail to appreciate and respect the rich culture of Goose Bay Labrador; we certainly had no desire to insult Mr. Goudie, who is of course an institution in the community and a lovely gentle man, and in hindsight, made the wrong decision by putting those comments to air.

I want to assure you that we have nothing but respect for Mr. Goudie, and we'll apologize for the conversation on next week's show.

Thanks again for your email. We are always happy to hear from passionate Canadians!

Regards,
Iris Yudai
Producer / Definitely Not The Opera

If the show had been on a private network, and featured a "satirical" Baptist minister from Calgary sneeringly asking a gay couple if they'd served "raw ham" at their wedding, there would have been warnings from the Heritage Minister and broadcast license suspensions.