Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera has been granted permission to broadcast in English in Canada.
A statement by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said Al Jazeera “will expand the diversity of editorial points of view in the Canadian broadcasting system.”
In 2004, the CRTC authorised Al Jazeera’s Arab language service to broadcast in Canada, but only under strict priteria, so as yet no satellite or cable TV provider offers the service, according to the Peninsula.
The commission said: “Further, despite concerns expressed by certain parties, there is nothing on the record of the current proceeding that leads the commission to conclude that (Al Jazeera) would violate Canadian regulations, such as those regarding abusive comment.
The 24-hour English-language news service is currently available in more than 100 countries and online.