Al-Jazeera English (AJE) will soon be available on cable and satellite providers throughout Canada, reports The Canadian Press. AJE is the sister network to the leading Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera. The network, which is based in Qatar, leveraged its popularity in the Middle East by launching an English language news channel to compete with BBC and CNN.

AJE is currently broadcasting in 100 countries via satellite and cable television and is also available online. The channel is present throughout Europe, and is one of the most watched news channels on YouTube, according to Walied Khogali and Anita Krajnc at Rabble.

In order to be shown on Canadian television, AJE had to pass a rigorous application process with the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which included a period of public comment. Canadian citizens sent approximately 2,600 letters and e-mails in support of AJE's application, while only 40 letters expressed opposition to the news channel.

An overwhelming percentage of the support came from the group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), according to Exchange Magazine. Among the letters of support for AJE's petition, over 83% of the respondents were CJPME supporters.

“We are also pleased with the role that CJPME was able to play in terms of encouraging this approval: we helped introduce [AJE Director] Tony Burman to Canadians through two public events, and we also encouraged many of our adherents to submit official letters of support to the CRTC,” stated CJPME President Tom Woodley.

Canadian politicians, including New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton and Conservative Senator Hugh Segal, were among AJE's supporters. The Canadian Jewish Congress and B'nai Brith Canada did not officially oppose the news channel's petition, but expressed that they would remain vigilant to the content aired on AJE.

The CRTC's approval is a victory for the news network, as the commission clamped down on the Arabic language network Al-Jazeera five years ago. In 2004, they approved Al-Jazeera for broadcast in Canada, but only under strict restrictions. AJE's application also prompted some allegations of bias in the news channel’s reporting, which the CRTC deemed to be “insufficient.” In its final approval, the commission did not dictate surveillance of AJE's content.

Khogali and Krajnc at Rabble believe that excessive media attention was directed to the allegations of unbalanced reporting. “The tremendously positive 'Al-Jazeera effect' on liberalizing media in the Middle East and in North America has been almost entirely neglected in these reports,” they claim.

The commission explained its authorization as “promoting a diversity of editorial points of view.”

AJE supporters called for the CRTC's endorsement in the name of diversity as well. “There is clearly a demand for the diversity and quality of journalism Al-Jazeera represents,” asserted Steve Anderson, director of OpenMedia.ca.

The CJPME “believes that AJE will bring much-needed variety and perspective to the Canadian news market, as AJE is known to provide far more extensive coverage from the Developing World than other international news stations,” reports Exchange Magazine.

Some commissioners expressed concern over AJE's unconditional approval, noting that its sister network remains under heavy restrictions. According to The Canadian Press, Marc Patrone protested that the commission should have taken into account the record of Al-Jazeera's Arabic language channel.

“It's also a missed opportunity to send a message internationally about levels of journalistic standards and codes that we consider important enough to demand from all news broadcasters who wish to operate in this country,” argued Patrone. “Adding diversity is necessary, but not at any price,” he added.