OTTAWA - CBC isn't the only government-owned or financed broadcaster in the world to be accused of a left-wing bias.

BBC, the mother of all state broadcasters, was described in a 2007 study as having "an innate liberal bias." The same report, commissioned by the BBC itself, quoted Richard Klein, commissioning editor for documentaries, as saying, "by and large, people who work at the BBC think the same and it's not the way the audience thinks. That's not long-term sustainable."

Accusations of a left wing bias at National Public Radio in the United States, combined with some explosive video showing the views executives hold towards conservative-minded Americans, resulted in a vote to defund NPR.

That vote, mostly supported by congressional Republicans, won't amount to much. Democrats in the Senate and U.S. President Barack Obama have promised to block the bill.

In Canada, CBC has faced accusations of a left-leaning bias for years. Despite those accusations, the Harper Conservatives have boosted funding for CBC from $982 million, when they first came to power, to $1.1 billion today. The latest budget proposed, presented days before the election call, proposed giving an extra $60 million to the state broadcaster.