Logo of the Russian television channel RT – AFP/Archives
Canada on Wednesday officially banned service providers from carrying Russian news channels RT (formerly Russia Today) and RT France, saying their programming is not in the “public interest”.
“Freedom of expression and diversity of opinion are essential elements of our democracy. However, broadcasting in Canada is a privilege, not a right,” explained Ian Scott, Chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
The public body also expressed concern about “programming from a foreign country that seeks to undermine the sovereignty of another, defame Canadians of a particular ethnicity, and undermine Canada’s democratic institutions.” “.
Accused of being Moscow’s instruments of “disinformation” in its war against Ukraine, Russian state media RT and Sputnik have already been banned from the European Union, and their television and internet broadcasts have been banned since March 2.
Launched in 2005 as “Russia Today”, state broadcaster RT has grown in recent years with channels and websites in multiple languages, including English, French, Spanish, German and Arabic.
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