NDP urged to address case of CRTC corruption

TORONTO, Dec. 10 /CNW/ - Keith Mahar, a former Canadian broadcasting industry insider, has provided documents to the New Democratic Party of Canada respecting an alleged case of long-term corruption at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

NDP Leader Jack Layton has been urged by Mahar to address an illicit consumer rate accounting scheme, one that he claims has cost Canadians more than $1.2 billion and unjustly enriched several media companies, including Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications and Vidéotron.

Mahar's related presentation at a CRTC public hearing on 7 February 2008 resulted in questions in Parliament the following day by Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP). His research report on the issue, entitled Profiteering in the Name of Culture, is available online from Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.

Mahar is currently a social worker in Canberra, Australia. Earlier this year he founded www.mentalympians.org, an international mental health media initiative. Two months before his presentation at the 2008 CRTC public hearing, he made a presentation on his personal recovery from bipolar disorder at the World Psychiatric Association International Congress 2007.

The Naked Advocate, a short film produced by American E.C. Warner in 2006, documents that Mahar's previous challenge against this same case was interrupted by a life-altering episode of acute psychosis. Mahar expresses his intention to return to address this outstanding political issue in the short film, which is available on YouTube.

Amended copy of 20 November 2009 submission to the Honourable Jack Layton: http://www.keithmahar.com/cms/index.php?page=jack

Profiteering in the Name of Culture: http://www.friends.ca/search/results?cx=012393652267620595103%3Adjkke5eqhz8&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&sa=Search&q=Keith+Mahar&siteurl=www.friends.ca%2FMedia_Monitor#627

The Naked Advocate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzoboGz9T7k

For further information: www.keithmahar.com