The country’s actors union is backing the Canadian Media Guild in voicing displeasure over proposed changes to the collective bargaining process which they say would allow for direct government involvement in the affairs of the CBC.

In a statement released Wednesday,  ACTRA national president Ferne Downey said an element of the proposed legislation in Bill C-60 “violates the very principle of public broadcasting and threatens to undermine and control an institution that is the cornerstone of our Canadian cultural identity.”

According to the Canadian Media Guild, which represents unionized CBC workers, the legislation tabled Monday “effectively eliminates the arms-length relationship with government that’s at the heart of public broadcasting” by allowing “the government to directly intervene in the day-to-day operation of the CBC and Radio – Canada .”

“We have a 70-year history of collective bargaining with the CBC,” added ACTRA national executive Director Stephen Waddell, in a statement. “These are never easy negotiations for either side, but we find agreement and address the needs of both sides. There is no good reason and no place for this kind of intrusion into our collective bargaining. Furthermore, the intervention of government into the decision-making of the public broadcaster threatens journalistic independence and could affect content decisions at the CBC.”

An omnibus bill, Bill C-60 contains proposed changes to existing laws and regulations and new proposed laws to a host of government and government-related activities, most stemming from the March federal budget.

As with any bill in a parliamentary style of government, it must pass three readings in the commons, plus be approved by the senate and then proclaimed by the governor general before it comes into force.