Official Languages Committee on April 1st, 2010

[Kevin Matthews]

There's really not much. Our stations have been working very hard for years to identify government programs that they can access for support. All of our stations are not-for-profit groups, and most of them are able to access Canada Summer Jobs support, to bring in somebody in the summer to do an extra project.

There has been limited success with other programs in other departments outside of Canadian Heritage—but very little. And there isn't anything that's specifically geared toward supporting community media. For example, there are many programs that are geared toward supporting arts groups, and our stations have worked very hard to become eligible for those programs, based on the support they give to emerging and independent artists. But when it really comes down to it, usually we can't meet the eligibility requirements for those because we're not specifically arts organizations at the mandate level.

Does that answer your question?

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

It's more for you than for me, but that explains things.

In section 42, Part VII, of the Official Languages Act, and I'm giving a broad outline, federal departments are concretely urged to support minority communities, whether in Quebec or outside of Quebec or throughout Canada, that is, francophones as well as anglophones, in their minority environments. Given what has been said here in committee, we can say that it isn't Parliament that hasn't done its job; rather, it is the bureaucracy that is not doing what the Act asks it to do. I would also like to put you in the picture on this subject. What we are hearing is that there is still a lot of work to do in these areas.

Being an English Quebecker or anglophone in Quebec doesn't put you under a single department, while all other anglophones in Canada or francophones where they are a majority have the right to deal with all the other departments as well. So there is an unequal situation in how we look at the work that has to be done by all departments of the Canadian federal government with minority language communities in the province or the regions where they live in Canada.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

You have 30 seconds left, Mr. Nadeau.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

We will come back to it.

Can you tell us about areas where you absolutely need assistance so you can achieve your plans?

[Kevin Matthews]

I'm sorry. Could I have that repeated?

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

I will come back to it. It will be easier when I come back to it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Nadeau.

We will continue with Mr. Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to welcome you all here today at the committee.

Mr. Bakoyannis—I hope I said it right—

[George Bakoyannis]

You did.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

—I'd like to hear more about what you said, if I got it right, that compared with a newspaper in Quebec, for example, they—outside of Quebec—get 10 times more. I want you to explain “more” to us. What does that mean?

[George Bakoyannis]

I'll give you a very good example. The Canadian Forces have been running ads in Quebec in our daily paper for months, five or six times a week. As community papers, we received the ad once or twice in the entire year. The French papers outside Quebec probably have received it 10 times.

I'm not saying they're doing it on purpose. It's not an agreement. It's part of what the federal government wants to do with French papers. They support them a little more than they support English papers in Quebec. I understand the reasons for that.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I want to understand this. When you say they received it 10 times more outside Quebec, is it in large newspapers or is it in communautés newspapers?

In the communautés we also have small newspapers. I'll give you an example. At home in my riding of Acadie—Bathurst, there is a little newspaper in Caraquet. The same owner, which is not a large corporation, has little newspapers in Tracadie-Sheila, in Bathurst, and in different areas, but they are local. I don't see any advertising from the government in those papers.

[George Bakoyannis]

The APF represents about 35 newspapers, French papers outside Quebec. I don't have the numbers. I can't prove it to you, because this is something that Public Works has, which I'm sure would be available to your department should you ask for it, but this is what it is. The federal government advertises in the French papers in order to support them. It's not a recommendation. It's a must. They must do this, while English papers in Quebec do not have the same privilege.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

If it is that way, it's not fair, I agree with you.

We'll ask our researcher to bring us the information. I think it's important that we see it. Our committee could demand it, which I've already done.

We should be treated equally no matter where we're from. If you're a minority, all minorities should be treated equally.

[George Bakoyannis]

I understand that, sir. I understand the reasons or the argument for why these French papers are supported more than the English papers in Quebec, but I don't know if the argument makes sense. The argument is that in Quebec we have quite a few English institutions in order to provide services and get federal messages out. For instance, we have a daily paper that is published in Montreal. The federal government uses that newspaper quite a lot.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Godin.

We will continue with Mr. Généreux.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Good morning, everyone.

I would first like to address Mr. Bakoyannis. Ms. Zarac said you had to sell 5,000 copies. I am pleased to inform you that our government has made improvements to the program and there are now exceptions. Some groups, like ethnocultural groups or official language minority groups, will have to sell 2,500 copies instead of 5,000. I think our government listened carefully to the recommendations made.

I think I understood that your network has received an additional $1 million. Is that correct?

[George Bakoyannis]

No, what I did talk about was federal spending in Quebec when it comes to advertising. I have a graph here from Public Works Canada showing the expenditures in newspapers, radio, and TV between 2004 and 2009.

In 2004-05, newspapers in Quebec received $868,000 in advertising. I believe that was for minority papers, the anglophone papers. In 2006-07 that went to $1,938,000. These are numbers I received from Public Works Canada. These are not my numbers.

I'd like to point out to you that in 2004-05, my association cleared about $300,000 in advertising to our 35 members. That's when the federal government was spending $800,000. In 2006-07, when the federal government was spending almost $2 million, my association cleared $70,000 to our 35 members.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

That's right.

[George Bakoyannis]

So while the government is doubling the budget and spending more on advertising in minority language papers in Quebec, it's not coming to us. We had a 75% decrease, while the budget doubled.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

So where does that money go? You belong to official language minority groups. What places does the money go, do you think?

[George Bakoyannis]

That's a very good question. I don't know.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

We'll find out.

[George Bakoyannis]

I think it's going to the daily paper.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

We'll try to find that out.