“Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise.” That's because they don't do whatever it is they do for the viewers, they do it for themselves.

Re. Paul Gross normally not being an ass, let me just add as a footnote this link. The thing's about an hour long, but--in my opinion anyway--well worth listening to.

“Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise.” Because if they start doing that, Kirstine Stewart will be out of a job. Can't have that, can we?

I have to say that most American television is crap too. Its just that I don't have to -PAY- for the American crap, whereas the CBC crap comes right out of my wages.

At least I don't have to watch it as well as pay for it. For small mercies, let us give thanks.

The truth hurts. Most Canadian-produced shows are crappy. Why can't the quality of what we do here in Canada be questioned, pray tell? Perhaps because it threatens socialists' culture of entitlement and handouts?

For a very interesting debate, go here:

http://smartcanucks.ca/the-informed-canadian-is-bill-c-10-censorship/

“Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise.”

OK make CBC a pay station and let's see what happens.

If it wasn't crap, would it require endless taxpayer subsidies?

. Does she mean that questioning the quality of Canadian television

She is a he. So much for what this personage has to say.
By the way, who disagrees with the sound observation that Canadian TV is beyond poor, morphed into a sort of lesbian, or sexual pervert wasteland. Its news is flipped for socialism. Its programs reflect no one except an antiseptic view of Canadian life. To scared to show real people, let alone their foibles.
It has no meaning, It stinks, its propaganda, not entertainment.
JMO

So freedom of expression is forbidden by our government, freedom of conscience was butchered by the Government and now I'm not allowed to call the crap Canada's media produce crap. Holy crap this censorship stuff is getting out of control.

“Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise.”

Since I'm a nobody, so I get to question it.
Wouldn't be much use though, because all the real somebodys don't listen to us nobodys.
The somebodys just take my taxes and do whatever they want with it.

I stopped watching TV ten years ago when I realized that back then.

The Perfect Gnostic and her "maladjusted ego".

"Kirstine Stewart, the general manager of CBC’s English television operations, reacted in the Globe to Blackett’s comments by saying “Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise.”"

In her statement, "“Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise.”", Stewart exemplifies/is a true modern model of a modern perfect Gnostic:

>>> "*the requirement for unanimity means that the Gnostic polity must quash all dissenting voices."

...-

"*Gnosticism from a Non-Voegelinian Perspective, Part III (Gnosticism in Modern Scholarship)"

[...]

"*The “second reality” eliminates anything inimical to the maladjusted ego in the real world. The real world persists, however, which means that the advocates of the “second reality” find themselves in perpetual conflict with existence. Ideology, for Voegelin, is a magical gesture aimed at altering the structure of reality through unanimous declaration; the requirement for unanimity means that the Gnostic polity must quash all dissenting voices."

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/4461

"Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise."
I sure can Christine! We all can. We pay for it every year and every time we buy some goods or services. Whether Stewart likes it or not, we are all shareholders and stakeholders... most of us unwillingly so. But I can and I will, willingly, tell you your stuff is crap and I am not getting my monies worth, and since I pay your wage, I want you to stop whining and get working on a better product.
Cry-baby Toronto socialist freeloader.

"Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise."

Well considering that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I would suggest that assertion is bald faced rubbish.

Since when have we had the coronation of the art Czarina Kirstine Stewart?

I think we should toss those Faberge eggs back at her! The gal is a comedian to be sure...

Cheers

Hans-Christian Georg Rupprecht, Commander in Chief

1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North"

If Little Mosque on the fu#*in' Prairie is so popular then find a sponsor and stop spending my money on sh*t that I'll never watch.

"Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise." That sounds like something a Soviet Commissar would have said.

Kirstine Stewart, general manager of CBC’s English television operations:

FIRE. HER. NOW.

NO. YESTERDAY.

“Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise.”

OMG....when did Canada become a Soviet state???

“Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise.”

Ya baby ... you just keep telling yourself that.

I don't think I've ever followed any Canadian produced television show in my lifetime. I'll watch Canada's Worst Handyman/Driver every once in a while but that's it. The impression I usually receive when viewing Canadian shows, or when listening to most Canadian music is that we like to produce boring, second rate knock offs of American garbage.

We have had a government funded entertainment industry for decades. I am sure most of you have heard the word CANCON. What it means is that our choices in entertainment have been limited so that Canadian produced entertainment, media and art gets centre stage wether it deserves it or not. It was done with the intent of building a strong cultural industry here in Canada.

However, the problem is that most of the talent tends to head elsewhere once it is developed. So rather than build a strong Canadian cultural industry we simply feed, at Canadian taxpayer expense, other countries entertainment industries.

It is time we stopped all this subsidizing and let the entertainment, media and arts communities stand on their own merits. Let the free market decide the winners and losers, not arts councils and culture ministers.

Chairman Kaga ... you must be a masochist ... not that there's anythiing wrong with that :0

Let's list the Canadian productions we do or have watched... probably cancelled now ... but I digress.
Me (in no particular order):
Farscape
Stargate
Lexx
Kids in The Hall
SCTV
King of Kensington (until the beeatch deserted him)
House of Frightenstine
Randy Dandy
Red Green
Traders
Due South
Homes on Homes / Homes Inspection
Street legal (only because I know one of the actors and it gave me plenty of ammo for ego puncturing party shots)
Canadian Band Stand

That's all I can think of right now...

Kristin's quote reminds me of something that John Cleese would do a skit on. "Ve are de CBC. No von quevestions de Germans!...err I mean de CBC.

I'd add to that list Twitch City and Slings and Arrows. The latter presenting a very interesting case. As I understand it: the CBC binned it pre-production--too anglo-Canadian, one assumes--but such was the quality of the show that the Sundance Channel (an American concern, obviously) picked it up. And it was a major success. Here and over the border. And, for what it's worth, I happen to think it is one of the best shows Canada has ever produced. Scratch that; it is one of the best shows ever produced.

... And, if my point isn't clear, the CBC chucked it. But they DIDN'T chuck Little Mosque! It's crazy! If I didn't know better I'd think they wanted to fail.

Ok OMMAG, I'll agree with you on some of those. Actually I forgot about Kids in the Hall. I do enjoy SCTV but that was on before my time.

I should've clarified that my post was more directed to the last decade.

Ok OMMAG, I'll agree with you on some of those. Actually I forgot about Kids in the Hall. I do enjoy SCTV but that was on before my time.

I should've clarified that my post was more directed to the last decade.

OMMAG, you notice nothing on your list is still on TV?

I'll grant Stargate and Holmes are good, re-watchable TV. The rest of those shows... ew.

The CBC, and its attitude, represents everything wrong with Canadian television. CBC's sports coverage is not bad (technically good; what to cover decisions usually questionable), and it has some good dramas (e.g. Heartland, North of 60). Beyond that, what does the CBC do that exudes quality, artistic or otherwise? Anything involving unbiased real world analysis or life outside Toronto the CBC can't or won't handle. Quality involves creating useful productions; not leftist indoctrination masking as entertainment.

Yeah .... I noticed ..... and I don't necessarily remember all of them as being great.

Some were so campy they were just cool ... but would never have been produced without tax dollars.

Interesting .... there was a bio on Atom Egoyan on last night on one of the cable channels .... Egoyan's movies all use the same stock of Canadian actors that those CBC dramas use.

I'll dare to suggest that cbc shows like little morgue on the prairie count on a "captive audience" of folks in seniors' and nursing homes who just can't change the channel.
/sarc.

There was a CBC show a few years ago that was very good called "This is Wonderland". It was nominated for a bunch of tv awards then cancelled after one season. I don't know why it was canceled. Maybe people are so used to CBC stuff being crap that no one watched it. The only reason I watched it the first time was it was filmed in and around the area I lived at the time. There is a show on now called "Murdoch Mysteries", that I watch regularly. Other than that I can't think of anything Cancon that I watch

I agree the Kirstine Stewart comment was a nauseating, elitist, self-aggrandizing piece of work, fully worthy of the contempt being heaped on it on this thread.

But where is the equally well-deserved contempt for this bit of elitist whining that came a little bit later in the Globe article?

ACTRA National President Ferne Downey: “What was he thinking? The truth is we create amazing television … despite a swath of obstacles – one of the biggest being chronic underfunding. If provincial governments such as his ponied up and gave our industry the investment it deserves, it would go a long way.”

well i fully agree agree with mr blackett's statment's ....

some other shows to add are
corner gas
21 jump street
bundies late night review
hiccups
littlest hobo
little house on the prairie
beach combers

Paul in calgary

TV is called a medium because it is neither rare or well done.

Seriously, TV is crap - I don't own one. Paying for the CBC really p%$*# me off!

Nice to hear a politician speak the truth for once.

The cultural authority of the producers of Canadian television is absolute

said Big Brother to nobody in particular.

Here are some new shows in production:

My seven lesbian husbands

Little jihad camp on the tundra

Laugh you swine this is funny

This hour has 22 Liberals

Melting Glaciers of Angst-Ridden Doom

Natives are cool and you're not

Varsity Daze (when Bobby and Iggy were students)

I watched Red Green for 2 years before someone finally told me it wasn't Question Period.

Iggy (Still In Waiting)

Is Hymn Sing still on?

There are some little known vile little secrets that go unmentioned which are at the heart of rotten Canadian efforts. For example, you win the Maxx $50mil jackpot tomorrow night and decide to spend $25mil of it funding a made for TV blockbuster movie titled "Terror Of The Walking Dead Marxists" using the best producer, director, and screenwriter in Canada and want to buy time on all the networks to show it without interruption. What could be simpler?

There would be a small problem. Ever notice the little tag at the end of TV shows "Some funding was provided by ------ Canada. They are the gatekeeper. You can't get airtime without their funding contribution seal of approval and you won't get that approval if your script doesn't meet their pc guidelines. Censorship? Heavens no!

so what have i learned that is particularly relevant?

i fink it was the comment that 'little mosque on the prairie' is seen in 70 countries..

i find that troubleacious...

so 70 countries with idiosyncratic woefully unidiomatic translations encouraging more illiterate in their own language third worlders to emigrate to the promised land Canada where life...real life...is suppoedly like a 'shit' TV show which is utterly and irredeemably bankrupt of anything other than whitewashing of the Muslim kultur and their behaviour here.

i'm disgusted....so as is my habit i will give mesself a high colonic irrigation in order to cleanse my humours of the infection...

Where's Don Messer, Marg and Charlie and all the islanders? OK here's the deal. None of these people in the arts have a responsibility to produce a product that has market appeal and a resultant profit. They are using an unending stream of other people's money (yours and mine) to produce glorified home movies. If they had their own money on the line they would pay a lot more attention to marketability and profitability. If the federal and provincial governments want a quality home grown product they need tax policies that facilitate direct investment by individuals through a tax credit mechanism rather than allocating tax dollars through a nepostitic arts board culture. The product you see is as a result of the elites on these boards having no accountability and no real dog in this fight.

" ... watchable situation comedies" Oh, where? I apparently haven't seen any. Seems to me Red Green had a few laughs, don't recall any others, but then, who watches Canadian networks?
On the language used by politicians of any level of government, and of any party; I expect professionalism, they're paid enough that we expect them to have a vocabulary, they can certainly afford a dictionary.

"...it’s not crap unless you’ve at least poked it with a stick.
Can the indignant Paul Gross, who received $5.5 million from the Alberta taxpayer for Passchendaele,..."

Passion Dale - a Paul Gross love story/vanity project by screenwriter Paul Gross, starring Paul Gross, directed by Paul Gross and funded by taxpayers.

The perfect crap.

The most disturbing thing about this is the revelation that Little Mosque on the Prairie is seen in 70 countries. That is embarassing.

Why does he fund so much crap? Because useless lefty artsies are overwhelmingly represented in media.

Hans-Christian you started but here's the finish

What Ms Stewart is saying when she proclaims that "Nobody can ever question the quality of what we do here in Canada, creatively or otherwise." is as most have already said: she is saying her, the artists, the elitists, the critics etc, etc are right.

What has specifically been missed in her point she is telling all us plebes: we have no taste and don't know what is good for us. Progressives and their Thought Police wet dreams......

Now that might be true (see smoking, fatty food, etc) but this still is a democracy and the majority rules. Well most of the time.

Therefore commercially as previously commented their products do not succeed because we the people just don't like them enough.

The Stewarts of the world should be given a reality check and told that they need to be thanking all of us for our support that we have given not by choice but by our electing a bunch of idiotic guilt ridden politicians for other good reasons, that are giving our money to a non productive enterprise.

Hymn Sing - now that is funny. Kum by Yaa anyone?

EMG, thanks for the Paul Gross audio link, it was very interesting!!