Thaindian News

Toronto, May 5 (IANS) Al Jazeera began its broadcasts into Canada Tuesday.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) had given the green signal to Al Jazeera English (AJE) last November to beam into Canada despite protests over its allegedly being the mouthpiece of Arab groups.

Canadian journalist Tony Burman, who is the managing director of the channel, said, “We are extremely pleased that AJE’s groundbreaking news and programming is now available in Canada, one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout Canada and hear first-hand the great demand for the channel.

“I believe that our cutting-edge reporting and programming will fill an important void by bringing another voice in international news to this important market. This is an exciting first step in bringing AJE to Canada, and we hope to announce additional carriage deals in the near future.”

Overruling protests, the Canadian regulator had said, “Despite concerns expressed by certain parties, there is nothing on the record of the current proceeding that leads the commission to conclude that AJE would violate Canadian regulations, such as those regarding abusive comment.”

The channel will be distributed by cable service providers Bell, Rogers and Videotron.

It will set up its first bureau in Canada next month, thus becoming the first foreign channel to have a full-fledged bureau in this country.

Al Jazeera says it has more than 70 bureaus worldwide, including Kuala Lumpur, Doha, London and Washington.

Claiming itself to be one of the most diverse organisations, it says its more than 1,000 employees worldwide come from more than 50 nationalities.