TORONTO: Canada’s broadcasting regulatory commission announced that it will allow Al Jazeera news network to broadcast in English in Canada.

In a statement, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said authorising Al Jazeera to broadcast “will expand the diversity of editorial points of view in the Canadian broadcasting system.

“Further, despite concerns expressed by certain parties, there is nothing on the record of the current proceeding that leads the commission to conclude that (Al Jazeera) would violate Canadian regulations, such as those regarding abusive comment,” the commission said.

The 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week English-language international news service is currently available in over 100 countries and via the Internet.

In 2004, the CRTC authorised Al Jazeera’s Arab language service to broadcast in Canada but only under criteria so strict it required broadcasts to be monitored for breaches, and so no satellite or cable service provider has yet opted to offer the channel.