Official Languages Committee on March 16th, 2010

[An honourable member]

Oh yes?

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Oh yes, I should tell you that. By the way, his member card should be arriving by mail soon. I am talking about the membership card for the Bloc, of course.

This is one of the factors that leads to assimilation. The federal government is not doing what it should to fight against this assimilation, aside from giving speeches. Assimilation is a terrible cancer in our communities, causing French to disappear from one census to the next. And you, you are here in order to provide solutions, but you are not given the tools you need.

I will conclude with those remarks. I do not know whether you have anything you wish to say about the interdepartmental issue or anything else. I will turn the floor over to you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

You have left them with 15 seconds.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

How generous of me!

[Francis Potié]

The interdepartmental aspect is the foundation for our development. The OLSPB remains important.

I will go back to the example given by François. Regardless of where he goes knocking, there is never any funding for radio. In our case, for our development survey and marketing project, we were told to knock on the door of Canadian Heritage. That makes it difficult to achieve any progress.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much. That completes our fourth round. Two members have expressed a desire to make an intervention. Would you like to have a formal fifth round, are simply have shorter rounds?

So I will give the floor to these members. Mr. Bélanger would like to add something, and then Ms. O'Neill-Gordon would like to intervene.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

I am going to ask my question, although you may have to send us the information later on.

First of all, does Canadian content apply to community radio, and if so, in what percentage?

[François Côté]

We have to provide the same percentage.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you.

As far as the OLSP is concerned, Mr. Chair, I would like to make a request of our researchers. Could they uncover, for the last few years—they can use their judgment—how much money has been spent on community radio under this program?

There is an issue I would like to come back to later on: would it be appropriate to look at changing the criteria for the way the money is used under this program, such as the example given by Mr. Généreux with respect to the Internet? I know that there may be some threats involved, but perhaps there are some opportunities? Could we use the OLSP funding or consider using the program to indeed improve the quality of the equipment or modernize the equipment in our community radio stations?

Does ARC or APF have TFO as a partner? TFO is the franco-Ontarian television station that is broadcast in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and New Brunswick.

I would like to make a comment about Canada Post. Are we witnessing some type of purge that is going on in order to prepare for the privatization of Canada Post? This type of decision to send $15 million to the Department of Canadian Heritage would be in line with such a vision.

Finally, let's talk about the interdepartmental aspect. I believe that the legislator understood the need and amended the act in 2005, supported, at that time, by the opposition which is now in government. Unless I am mistaken, there is no evidence that the departments and agencies are all, without exception, subject to part VII of the act. Meaning that they have an obligation to provide follow-up, directly, and not to send everything over to the Department of Canadian Heritage. What I'm seeing is that we are not giving life and voice to this new Official Languages Act. That strengthens our desire, as a committee, to delve into this issue more closely.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much, Mr. Bélanger.

Now I will turn to Ms. O'Neill-Gordon.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Good morning, and welcome. It's great to have you here with us today.

You spoke of the many new technologies and different means of communication that are now being used. We are all very much aware of that. We're all very much aware of how we turn to the Internet, probably, before turning on our local radio stations. Yet many of us still appreciate the local radio station.

I'm just wondering whether you feel you have the support of your communities and whether the relationship between the radio and the community is still a good one.

[François Côté]

Absolutely, because a community radio station is first and foremost the station of that community. It is not just the station of one or two individuals; it is the entire community's radio station. It is the community that chooses to have a station.

So our radio stations are deeply rooted in our communities, and this symbiotic relationship grows more and more each year. It takes on more and more importance.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Do you think more work should be done with the community in order to better sensitize the population to the community radio?

[François Côté]

When a decision is made to start up a community radio station, it involves an extraordinary effort of mobilization and awareness raising within the community, with regard to what a community radio station is and how it will serve the community. I don't know whether it is important to educate people even more. I would say that has already been done.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Coming from Miramichi, coming from New Brunswick, a bilingual province, I certainly know and appreciate that the work you do is very valuable. When you meet with our minister Mr. Moore, you will see that he feels the same way. Our government certainly appreciates the valuable work that you do.

Thank you.

[François Côté]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Ms. O'Neill-Gordon.

This morning, you received unanimous support from all members of the committee for the work that you do with regard to both written press and the media. I would say, somewhat more descriptively, that you are the canaries in our linguistic coal mines. So we encourage you to speak out loud and clear on behalf of minority languages. I join the other committee members in congratulating you.

Thank you very much.

(The meeting is adjourned).