BCE Inc. began its defence Monday of a proposed $3.4-billion takeover of Astral Media Inc. – and immediately faced the pointed scrutiny of the avowedly populist new CRTC boss.

“I would remind everyone that it is the responsibility of a seller or their representative to prove that a transaction is in the public interest,” Jean-Pierre Blais, chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, warned in his opening statement. “That means the burden of proof rests squarely with Astral and BCE. We will not hesitate to challenge their representatives.”