Canadian Heritage Committee on March 25th, 2014

[Solange Drouin]

Definitely. Furthermore, the CIMA proposed that in their brief. We supported that measure, but it is aimed at current conventional broadcasters. We absolutely must not forget them, because they are still a very important part of the landscape of music broadcasting. We must never forget that we have not quite transitioned into a new reality. We are still in a traditional world, if I can put it that way. The broadcasters have a significant impact.

There is something else. The CRTC has the power to regulate broadcast services on the Internet. They have chosen not to do so by renewing the exemption for new media. Personally, I do not believe that we absolutely must copy the radio regulations simplistically and apply them to the new music broadcast services. It has to be adapted.

We asked the CRTC, when they were studying the renewal of this exemption, to start to do something. On the Internet, there are several things and people play with combinations. There are so many things to do that that forces people not to do anything at all.

We have to study the Internet for what it is, that is to say many things. There are telecommunications, that is telephone conversations on the Internet, which we must not regulate, of course, because that constitutes freedom of expression. However, there are commercial services on the Internet, as there are music broadcasting services with subscription fees. Why is this beyond our control?

We must review all facets of the Internet and study this issue. We must take a step in the right direction and start regulating certain Internet services. Technologically speaking, it is possible to do so. If we do not do so, it is a political issue.

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Thank you.

Mr. D'Eith, is this issue part of what you call at the end of your presentation the need for balancing?

[Robert D'Eith]

I'm sorry, what was the question?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

We were discussing the need to review the regulatory power of the CRTC. I wonder whether you have something to say about it.

[Robert D'Eith]

One of the biggest problems with Canadian content development funding is just deciding whose money it is. We have always taken the position that once Canadian content development money is there, it should really belong to the music industry. That's something that is still unclear. Is it the radio's money or is it our money? That's something, if anything, that could be clarified.

It should be the industry's money, and we should have discretion to do what we need to do with that funding. That's not clear. I think the government could take a position trying to clarify this.

As far as the other regulatory matters with the CRTC are concerned, certainly making sure that the Canadian content development funding is spent properly, is spent on time, and that we get the money is important.

As for balancing, we've already found that many of the radio stations like the money to stay in their local communities. One of the problems the stations have is that when it goes into some central pot, it doesn't always make its way back to the local community.

In the $5.2 million program that we did with the Pattison Broadcast Group, for example, their CCD money stayed local. This helped to balance the equation nationally. Some sort of balance between national programs and regional programs is very important.

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Thank you. We are out of time.

I'd like to thank our witnesses. We appreciate your input into our study. Hopefully, in the next few months you'll be able to see what we've been doing.

Thank you for coming today.

The meeting is adjourned.