With an election coming up in the fall, radio and TV stations in Canada are awaiting the annual onslaught of advertising from political parties. Even CBC Radio will be affected, because under the law, they have to accept those ads, despite their non-commercial status. Not only that, but broadcasters are required to provide some 390 minutes for approved parties to be able to get their message across. And now The Broadcasting Arbitor (did anyone even know we had one of those?) has released the list of who gets how much time. The usual suspects - Conservatives, Liberals, NDP etc. - not surprisingly get the most.

But there are some that the Arbitor has ruled on that I would be stunned to hear making their pitch on air. Among them: The Rhinoceros Party, The Pirate Party Of Canada (which advocates for changes to what's considered 'piracy' by those downloading off the Internet), The Marijuana Party (guess which candidate they'll be supporting?) and an entity called the Bridge Party, which stands for something to do with democracy that I still can't quite figure out, even after reading the "About Us" section of their website. 

The full list is below, complete with how much time these fringe people must be allowed to access by law. That still doesn't mean they will appear on a medium near you, because they have to pay for it. It just means stations won't be able to say no if they're willing to pony up the cash, until they've had their full broadcast time - no matter how loony their positions may turn out to be.

Can't wait for the Seniors Party to appear on Virgin 99.9 or for Christian Heritage or The Bloc Quebecois to spread their message on Radio 1.

Strange bedfellows, indeed.  

Political Party                               Minutes:Seconds

Conservative Party of Canada         107:00

New Democratic Party                   78:30

Liberal Party of Canada                  45:30

Green Party of Canada                   20:30

Bloc Québécois                             16:30

Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada       9:30

Christian Heritage Party of Canada    8:30

Libertarian Party of Canada               8:00

Communist Party of Canada             7:30

Rhinoceros Party                             7:30

Canadian Action Party                      7:30

Pirate Party of Canada                      7:30

Progressive Canadian Party               7:30

Animal Alliance Env. Voters Party/Can. 7:30

Marijuana Party                                   7:00

United Party of Canada                        7:00

Party for Accountability, Competency and Transparency 7:00

Seniors Party of Canada                        6:00

Democratic Advancement Party of Canada 6:00

Forces et Démocratie                             6:00

Canada Party                                           6:00

Bridge Party of Canada                          6:00

Total 390:00

Source: Canada's Broadcast Arbitor

Last edited by RadioActive (July 14, 2015 11:40 am)