There is a call from the CBC for another $400 million a year in federal funding – so it can go “advertising free” on all of its platforms. This would enable the public broadcaster to follow the example of the BBC and be fully funded by the government – instead of partially relying on money from ads.

The CBC – English and French – currently receives just over $1.2 billion annually.

In these days of diminishing ad revenues, “IPolitics” publisher James Baxter even called the CBC an “uber predator” – in a recent presentation to The Commons Heritage Committee.

The controversy has been fuelled by the CBC’s insistence on competing with other media companies for digital advertising. And it comes after the Trudeau Liberals announced $675 million in new funding for CBC – over the next five years.

Two Conservative leadership hopefuls have also been slamming the CBC lately.

Kellie Lietch proposes to scrap the corporation entirely – if she manages to become prime minister.

And Maxime Bernier says – in a media landscape that now includes hundreds of broadcasters and online outlets – the CBC seems “frozen in time” and should stop featuring game shows, sports, cooking shows and bad Canadian copies of American popular shows.