Two networks of groups, Canadians for Al Jazeera and Campaign for Democratic Media, have partnered in a campaign to support Al Jazeera English’s CRTC application to broadcast in Canada.

Canada’s broadcast regulator is accepting public comments until June 8. These groups have already generated in excess of a thousand letters from the public in the hopes of giving Canadians the choice of watching a truly independent global news network among the overwhelming 500-channel universe currently available.

The ‘CNN effect’ introduced in the 1991 Gulf War served to mobilize international support behind U.S. forces invading Iraq through its live coverage of the conflict from the perspective of Western power centres.