Canada's CBC Ditches Top TV Pundit For Kiddie Porn Support (Video)

TORONTO – The CBC, Canada's public broadcaster, on Thursday dumped right wing pundit Tom Flanagan from its Power and Politics show after he declared viewers of kiddie porn should not be jailed.

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Flanagan, a former chief of staff to Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, told a University of Lethbridge audience Wednesday night he was OK with viewing child pornography on personal liberty grounds.

“I certainly have no sympathy for child molesters, but I do have some grave doubts about putting people in jail because of their taste in pictures,” Flanagan said in an online video that went viral Thursday.

The ex-Harper advisor said he didn’t look at child pornography, but had received materials from the “National Man-Boy Love Association” after ending up on their mailing list.

Flanagan drew cries of surprise from his audience when he declared consumers of child pornography were jailed even though “they do not harm another person.”

The CBC, which frequently has Flanagan on air as a political commentator, said it was ending its association.

“While we support and encourage free speech across the country and a diverse range of voices, we believe Mr. Flanagan's comments to have crossed the line and impacted his credibility as a commentator for us,” Jennifer McGuire, general manager and editor in chief at CBC News said in a statement.

Harper also quickly distanced himself from Flanagan, as his spokesman Andrew MacDougall tweeted: “Tom Flanagan’s comments on child pornography are repugnant, ignorant and appalling.”