Conservative Deputy Leader demands CBC FIRE - not just 'suspend' - reporter who went on antisemitic rant

Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman says a CBC reporter who spewed antisemitic conspiracies on live television should be fired by the broadcaster, not merely suspended.

Source: Wikipedia Commons

WATCH the full EXCLUSIVE interview with Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman below.

Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman says a CBC reporter who spewed antisemitic conspiracies on live television should be fired by the broadcaster, not merely suspended.

“You have a state broadcaster openly platforming a journalist who decided to give an antisemitic rant,” said Lantsman outside Parliament Hill in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

“There’s only really one thing that should happen: that person should be fired.”

CBC reporter Élisa Serret parroted antisemitic conspiracies about Jewish influence during a segment on the Middle East: “It’s the Jews who finance much of American politics,” she said. “Here in the United States, the big cities are run by Jews; Hollywood is run by Jews.”

On Tuesday, CBC announced that reporter Serret had been ‘suspended’ and ‘relieved of her duties.’ Typically, such language indicates that the individual remains employed and on payroll, pending some potential future decision.

Lantsman, a prominent Jewish politician in Canada, stated that rising antisemitism requires the federal government to first acknowledge the problem to correct it.

“The government has to realize that there’s a problem in order for them to correct it rather than forming it and encouraging it,” she said.

She accused federal politicians of “speaking from both sides of their mouths, saying one thing to one community, a different thing to another community, and further dividing Canadians.”

Canada has seen a dramatic 125% increase in antisemitic incidents in recent years.

“We need to stop all that and start protecting Jews in this country,” Lantsman added.

The fresh comments come as Jewish advocacy groups press Ottawa for a firmer stance against antisemitism and as debate continues over the federal government’s position on recognizing a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile B’nai Brith Canada is demanding a full investigation, calling the broadcast “deeply irresponsible and dangerous.” The group urged CBC to review its editorial policies, issue an on-air correction and apology, and require antisemitism training for staff.