Finance Committee on Oct. 22nd, 2009

[Penelope Marrett]

No. They have told us that 99.5% of the application refusals are not based on safety at all. The safety is confirmed.

From what we understand, some of it is information that they know is not available, but they continue to ask for it. If it is not available, why are we being asked for it as an industry, particularly if they know if it's not available?

The other part of the standards of evidence that we are being asked for is double-blind clinical studies. For small and medium-sized businesses that are providing innovative products that Canadians use, it's very difficult, because they don't have the funding to do double-blind clinical studies.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

What would your solution be? I'm just trying to understand the reason for coming to the finance committee instead of maybe going to the health committee.

[Penelope Marrett]

We're doing both, in actual fact. If Health Canada is the regulator, they must be provided with permanent funding to be a proper regulator so that they're as fair and predictable--

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

That's what I'm looking for.

[Penelope Marrett]

That's what we talked about at the end. That's what I said at the end: it is not fair and predictable at all.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

No, but it's not...so they don't have the adequate funding.

[Penelope Marrett]

No, not at all.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

What would you recommend in terms of a dollar amount?

[Penelope Marrett]

In the 2008 budget, the federal government provided $33 million over two years. That ends March 31, 2010. The transition to the regulations will be over by then, and we don't know what's going to happen. We can't afford to have a regulator trying to cobble together from the branch moneys that are available here and there, because that does not—

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Okay; we only have limited time.

You state that there were 15,000 applications approved over a five-year period. To me that seems like a lot, but I'm not sure what the numbers are.

[Penelope Marrett]

Out of 41,000 applications? That's—

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

That's why I can't say it's good or not in terms of percentages. It's probably not good, but I'm not sure.

To me, it seems like it's a lack of funding.

[Penelope Marrett]

It's definitely partly a lack of funding, but it's also part—

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Can you get us a dollar amount and just send it over to the clerk?

[Penelope Marrett]

Okay. Done.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

I'd appreciate that.

To Ms. Lareau from the Canadian Media Guild, I don't have a problem with CBC, and I like your idea of maybe signing a seven-year contract, but I still have a problem with how we would be able to have accountability of that money. I think you said it should not be under peer review or under an expense review.

I'm not sure; I have a problem with that. If you have nothing to hide or if there are no problems with the services you're providing, you should be more than happy to undergo that review. That's where I'm a little hesitant.

I'd like your comments on that.

[Lise Lareau]

Let me make this perfectly clear. The heritage committee, actually, are the ones recommending that there be a memorandum of understanding, which is a contract between the government and the CBC, that would last for a seven-year period. That would be where your accountability is. All of it would be built into it.

I will say to Mr. Menzies' comments earlier that I understand you can't hear everybody and talk to everybody and question everybody, and that everything costs money. The seven-year memorandum of understanding is one of the few things being represented to you today that doesn't cost a cent. It's about predictability, similar to what we heard earlier; it's about being able to plan and being able to run a big broadcaster. That's what the seven-year memorandum of understanding would give the CBC, so that it wouldn't be subject to tenuous, extremely tenuous—

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Could I, because my time is up, get you to comment on the graph you provided us for per capita funding for corporate broadcasters? Canada seems to be quite low.

[Lise Lareau]

It's very low.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Given that we're such a small country, how are you even able to—

[Lise Lareau]

This is per capita, so it has nothing to do with size of country. This is per capita.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

That's what I'm saying. In terms of population, how are you able to even provide a service, compared to what—

[Lise Lareau]

Don't forget, I'm speaking on behalf of the employees.

How does the CBC do this?

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Yes.

[Lise Lareau]

It's unbelievably difficult. It's done with a lot of dedication on the part of employees.

It's staggering what the CBC does with such a small amount of money, for what broadcasting takes.