Author: Alex Dhaliwal
Ottawa has allocated $370 million more to CBC/Radio-Canada than it has to Canada’s domestic spy agency, despite the Liberal government’s warnings about a rising threat of foreign interference, espionage and terrorism.
Under the federal government’s 2026-27 Main Estimates, CBC/Radio-Canada’s parliamentary funding was $1.38 billion, compared with $1.01 billion for CSIS.
The $370.4 million gap puts the CBC’s allocation about 37 per cent above that of Canada’s domestic intelligence agency, though the gap has narrowed from the previous year.
However, CBC’s share of the allocation dropped from $1.43 billion, while CSIS’s increased from around $980 million to $1.01 billion.
The spending gap comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government admits there are an increasing number of national security threats.
“Threats once thought distant are now immediate and proximate,” Carney warned in his October 2026 national security plan.
“The first job of the Canadian government is to keep Canadians safe,” Ottawa declared in Budget 2026, released November 5.
The budget proposes $6 billion over 10 years for CSIS (starting in 2027-28) plus $579.5 million in ongoing funding to bolster Canada’s intelligence capabilities.
“Canada cannot wait for threats to emerge before taking action,” the budget warned, citing foreign interference, espionage, and terrorism as challenges confronting the country.
“Protecting Canada and advancing our interests requires sovereign, strong intelligence capabilities,” the government stated, adding that CSIS is “central to that effort.”
The proposed CSIS funding would start in 2027–28 and doesn’t alter the original 2026–27 Main Estimates.
CBC’s allocation also exceeds the $1.29 billion allocated to Parks Canada and the $1.15 billion allocated to VIA Rail Canada. However, it’s still less than the $1.53 billion allocated to the Public Health Agency of Canada, according to the same Main Estimates.
The comparison doesn’t cover the entire Canadian intelligence community. CSE (the Communications Security Establishment), which is responsible for foreign signals intelligence and cybersecurity, got about $2.01 billion. That’s more than either CBC or CSIS on their own.
The government’s warnings are consistent with the findings of CSIS’s 2025 public report, which identified China, India, Russia, Iran and Pakistan as the principal actors in foreign interference and espionage directed at Canada.
The agency has issued a warning that foreign governments are targeting Canadian politicians, journalists, universities and businesses through covert influence operations, intelligence gathering and intimidation.
Ottawa says its proposed investment would enhance Canada’s intelligence capabilities and reduce our dependence on foreign intelligence partners.
CSIS was also saddled with a 2 per cent savings target under the federal government’s Comprehensive Expenditure Review, though the national security agencies as a whole faced lower targets than most other departments.
Its 2026–27 Main Estimates allocation did, however, increase by some $32.7 million on the previous year’s estimates.
Meanwhile, the government is proposing another $300 million over two years for CBC/Radio-Canada, beginning in 2026–27.
Carney highlighted the additional funding during a November 10 announcement in Montréal, where he promoted his government’s broader $4-billion cultural investment package.
“Canadian culture brings us together. And in an increasingly divided world, what connects us is what makes us strong,” Carney said in a PMO statement.
Culture Minister Marc Miller echoed that message, saying, “In a changing world, culture is at the heart of who we are as Canadians.”
The government’s Budget 2026 impact analysis describes the additional funding as intended to make CBC/Radio-Canada “financially sustainable.”
The latest commitment builds on Carney’s pledge to protect and expand CBC funding during the 2025 federal election campaign.
On April 4, 2025, Carney promised an initial $150 million increase and legislation to protect the broadcaster’s long-term financing.
“We will modernize the mandate of our public broadcaster; we will give it the resources it needs to fulfil its renewed mission,” Carney said during a campaign stop in Montréal.
“Our plan will safeguard a reliable Canadian public square in a sea of misinformation and disinformation,” he added.
Carney framed the pledge as a defence of Canadian culture and sovereignty. At the same time, then-Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre advocated defunding CBC’s English-language operations while preserving Radio-Canada’s French-language services.
Ottawa later included another $150 million for CBC in the 2025–26 Supplementary Estimates, bringing its total estimates to date for that fiscal year to about $1.58 billion.
The new $300-million commitment is separate from the original 2026–27 Main Estimates and should not be treated as money already spent. CBC also generates commercial revenue through advertising, subscriptions and other activities.