MONTREAL — The plan to shut down TQS news outlets across Quebec likely won’t happen because it goes against CRTC rules, and could hamper Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chances of winning seats in la belle province, says a Canadian broadcasting watchdog.

The beleaguered network’s new owner-apparent, Remstar, announced Wednesday that it will close its news services in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Saguenay and lay off more than 270 employees in the name of ‘financial recovery.’ The French-language network says it is losing $1.4 million a month, and has an accumulated debt of $71 million.

The move caused an uproar across the province and was condemned by all parties on the floor of Quebec’s provincial legislature. The Liberals, the Action Démocratique du Québec and the Parti Québécois adopted a unanimous motion calling on the government to ‘demand that the CRTC maintain the news operations’ of TQS.

The network ‘won’t be able to do it. They will be running afoul of CRTC regulations and their conditions of licence. It’s not up to them to decide,’ says Ian Morrison of the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. ‘TQS local operations are very important in Quebec because in the world of francophone TV they provide the only other choice in the private sector to TVA.’

Morrison also says if Ottawa allows TQS to shut down its news-gathering system it won’t help the Harper government’s popularity in Quebec. ‘The geographic locations of these stations overlap with the areas where the Conservative party has a fighting chance of growing,’ he says.

But Ottawa may not have a choice in the matter, anyway, as the decision would be the CRTC’s to make. Morrison speculates, however, that Remstar may be making an extreme proposal in order to strengthen its position in front of the CRTC.

He also notes that if TQS was allowed to charge fees-for-carriage on cable and satellite systems — as the big broadcasters have been requesting this month before the commission — it would not be in such dire financial straights. The CRTC’s BDU hearings concluded Thursday in Gatineau after three weeks.

TQS, which has an audience share of nearly 12%, was placed under creditor protection last December. Remstar has proposed to acquire all shares held by owners Cogeco Radio-Television (60%) and CTVglobemedia (40%).

The CRTC is expected to hold public hearings in June into Remstar’s acquisition of TQS. The layoffs would start June 2 and all newscasts would be phased out by Sept. 1.

‘We want the licence to be renewed under the same news-gathering requirements TQS has had for years,’ says Luc Bessette, spokesman for the union representing TQS employees. ‘If these cutbacks happen, the impact will be very serious. TQS is a very important source of regional news in this province. Its focus is local.’

Bessette fears that if the CRTC allows TQS to shut down its news services, Canada’s other big networks will follow suit. ‘We could be creating a monster.’

The union plans to make its case before the CRTC this summer.

No TQS spokesperson was available to comment on this story.