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On land masses, proximity, and whether Canada needs a public-service media outlet

If a primary purpose of a national public-service broadcaster is to sustain a sense of national identity, then it's hard to think of a set of conditions more suitable than those of Canada. It's the country with the second-largest land area, but 90% of its population lives within 160 kilometers (99.2 miles) of the US border -- less than two hours of driving at highway speeds and, for many, within the reach of radio and television broadcast antennas.

■ Its roughly 39 million people are outnumbered more than eight-to-one by America's 341 million, sharing a primary language and a fair amount of history. To be outnumbered by that margin in that close of proximity doesn't set up Canada to have a lot of its own cultural product.

■ No government, and certainly no public-service broadcaster, can force a culture into being. Culture is what people choose, within the constraints of their circumstances. But one of those constraints is whether they see anything distinctive and worth adopting. In theory, that's what an institution like the CBC is expected to promote.

■ At what cost? Yearly, about the price of a dinner for two at a quick-service restaurant. Is that what culture is worth? That's for Canadians to decide. But it seems likely that much smaller populations have credible claims to having distinctive cultures of their own, so it's a justifiable case. But especially as legacy broadcasting media come under heavy pressure from asynchronous digital alternatives, the need to have something distinctive to say about local history, values, habits, or other identifying touchstones becomes more of the focal point than simply making sure the meters are still moving.