CRTC mulls banning Fox News after complaint from LGBTQ2 group

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The CRTC has launched a public consultation on whether to ban Fox News from Canadian cable packages after a complaint from an LGBTQ2 advocacy group over “incendiary” comments aired on the conservative TV channel.

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The broadcast regulatory agency posted a notice Wednesday, accepting comments from interested parties and the public until June 2.

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Egale Canada, a Toronto-based group, published an open letter to the CRTC in April after they were featured on Fox News’ now cancelled Tucker Carlson Tonight show in March.

The group claimed Fox’s coverage “aimed to provoke hatred and violence against 2SLGBTQI communities, particularly those who are Two Spirit, trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming (2STNBGN).”

“This programming is in clear violation of Canadian broadcasting standards and has no place on Canadian broadcasting networks,” Egale Canada executive director Helen Kennedy wrote.

The letter, dated April 4, accused Carlson of making “false and horrifying claims about 2STNBGN people, painting them as violent and dangerous” on a show that aired March 28.

Carlson was fired from Fox News last week after the network settled a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems.

Despite the prime-time host’s exit, an Egale spokesperson told True North that the group still wants the network removed from Canadian cable packages.

“The issue of Fox News inciting hate, violence and discrimination in its programming extends beyond one individual,” Egale spokesperson Jennifer Boyce told True North.

According to government records, Egale Canada has received millions in grants and contributions from the federal government since 2017.