Almost as soon as CanWest Global Communications Corp. announce its $2.3-billion offer for Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., unions and guilds representing workers in Canada’s media sector began to speak out in opposition. The Canadian Media Guild circulated a press release-cum-editorial titled "Alliance Atlantis sale: bigger is better for whom?" in which it decried the existing level of concentration of ownership in Canadian media, and cautioned the CRTC, the Competition Bureau of Canada and elected officials against approving both the CanWest-Alliance Atlantis deal as well as CTV globemedia’s acquisition of CHUM Ltd.

"The AAC sale is just one more example of the latest media business mantra: bigger is always better and you’ve got to have a hand in every media platform – TV, radio, newspapers, the Internet, mobile phones, etc.," the release reads. "Few people in positions of authority seem ready to question, at least out loud, what such consolidation will mean for Canadian audiences and readers, content creators, advertisers and media employees."