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In a statement, the Conservatives said: “The Conservative party has grave concern that this decision was made on the eve of an election that CBC is to be covering fairly and objectively. The Conservative party considers this a complete distraction in the final days of a tightly contested election, and we will dispute this lawsuit fully.

“The video in question was removed from our platforms well before CBC lawyers made the decision to file their lawsuit.

“The 17 seconds of CBC clips in the video included (Postmedia columnist) Andrew Coyne highlighting how Justin Trudeau broke the law, Justin Trudeau telling a Canadian war veteran that he is ‘asking for more than we can give right now,’ and one CBC reporter questioning why the Liberals provided Loblaws with $12 million in tax dollars to install new refrigerators.”

It adds, “When you are funded entirely by taxpayer dollars, taxpayers should be able to use the footage.”

In a blog post, Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, said the Conservative party has a strong case for arguing “fair dealing” in use of the material.

When you are funded entirely by taxpayer dollars, taxpayers should be able to use the footage

The CBC’s “claim is based on an odd collection of unconvincing arguments, including the notion that clips from the debate might lead someone to think that the CBC is biased, contrary to its obligations under the Broadcasting Act,” he wrote.

“Moreover, the claim over short clips over debate footage is enormously troubling, considering both the importance of broad dissemination of the debate and the fact that the debate involves little specific contribution for any individual broadcaster. CBC has an unfortunate history of overzealous use of copyright to stifle freedom of expression and that approach appears to have reared its head yet again as the 2019 campaign hits the home stretch.”