The head of CBC defended the news organization’s journalistic ethics Tuesday amid criticism from the prime minister that “a lot” of Radio-Canada employees “hate” conservative values.

While Hubert Lacroix would not comment directly on Stephen Harper’s comments to a Quebec radio station, he spoke to the values that underscore the broadcaster’s journalism.

“The combination of the work of Heather Conway, Louis Lalande and myself and our respective teams and everybody who works at CBC Radio-Canada in our newsroom is to ensure that our values are journalistic policies and the values that we are so proud of in terms of impartiality, integrity – well those values have to be present in the way we deliver our news,” Lacroix told reporters following his participation in a Senate committee meeting on the future of the CBC.

“I’m very proud of that and I know they are everyday.”

Lacroix’s comments on the integrity of CBC practices come one day after Harper said in an interview with a Quebec City radio station, FM93 Québec, that “a lot” of Radio-Canada employees “hate” conservative values. His comments were in response to a question about convincing Quebecers to vote for the Conservative party.

“I remain convinced that Quebecers are not leftists, contrary to the image conveyed by some media or the opposition parties,” Harper said in the interview.

“I understand that there are many at Radio-Canada who hate these values, but I think that these values are the true values of a large percentage of Quebecers.”

On the topic of speaking before Senate committee in the midst of scandals like Amanda Lang and Jian Ghomeshi, Lacroix said he’s very proud of his job, of CBC Radio-Canada and its employees.

“I will defend the CBC and Radio-Canada. I do that on a daily basis,” he said.

With files from The Canadian Press