Evidence of meeting #75 for Official Languages in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was anand.
A recording is available from Parliament.
6:05 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
First, we spoke with all the employees concerned on our podcast teams. We withdrew the podcast that had been done by the European firm. We are also redoing that podcast, and Radio-Canada is responsible for its production and adaptation.
All the members of the podcast team understood the mistake, and that's why I'm absolutely satisfied that this kind of situation will not reoccur.
6:05 p.m.
NDP
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
As the member of Parliament for northern Manitoba.... As you know, we have been without a sustained local CBC presence for a number of years. There have been only some brief stints. Despite CBC's contractual obligation to maintain local involvement here, we haven't seen that.
Should we be concerned, given this latest development of the podcast that was being punted to Paris, that CBC/Radio-Canada is not taking regional programming and respecting our regions, whether it's the entirety of Quebec or regions like northern Manitoba, when it comes to its regional programming?
6:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
Mr. Chair, I can say that, with respect to regional programming, never before has proximity....
6:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
I mentioned proximity, relevance and inclusion. These are the three themes of our next strategy.
We know that in a world of polarization and disinformation, our regional presence is absolutely critical.
I need to correct the record, though, on the contractual nature of our obligation. We do what we can with the resources that we have. There are 33 communities in English Canada with a population of more than 50,000 that do not have a CBC presence. On the French side, there are five communities with population of over 50,000 that do not have a Radio-Canada presence. We know that presence builds confidence, builds trust and builds a more civic and civil society. That is why I argue each and every day to have a greater presence in our regions, to go deeper and to be absolutely more involved in all of our communities.
This is our commitment, our absolute mandate and our desire.
6:10 p.m.
NDP
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
We certainly hope to see that come to fruition here in northern Manitoba and, obviously, in other communities.
Going back to francophone content production capacity at Radio-Canada, how many senior management members at CBC/Radio-Canada are francophones and take an active part in decision-making regarding French content, and the Quebec accent in particular?
6:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
Mr. Dubé, do you want to answer that question?
6:10 p.m.
Chief Transformation Officer and Executive Vice-President, People and Culture, CBC/Radio-Canada
Yes, of course.
Mr. Chair, eight members of the senior management team are francophones, including the president. That represents the majority of members. The senior management team works in English and in French at all of its meetings and makes business management decisions exercising considerable concern for balance between English and French. Half of our workforce in the organization as a whole is francophone and the other half anglophone. The distribution is thus very equitable.
6:10 p.m.
NDP
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
We would like to have some figures that are a little more specific. You may send them to us in a written response.
6:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
More specifically, does your question concern senior management or management in general?
6:10 p.m.
NDP
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
My question concerns the members of senior management who participate in decision-making regarding French-language content, including matters pertaining to the Quebec accent.
6:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Joël Godin
Thank you, Ms. Ashton. Your time is up.
Yes, Ms. Tait, if you have any information to give us, you may send it to the clerk. Thank you.
Let's move on to the second round of questions. First, we would like to welcome Mr. Berthold, of the Conservative Party of Canada, who is not a regular member of the committee, but who is with us today.
Mr. Berthold, you have the floor for five minutes.
6:10 p.m.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
I move around from committee to committee.
Ms. Tait, last time, we had a chance to confirm that you had no problem with my accent. So that matter is resolved.
In your letter of apology to the Union des artistes for having the Alone: A Love Story podcast translated in France, you wrote, "…CBC wanted to see if it would strike a chord with international audiences and asked a Paris company to do the dubbing…"
It appears that the Quebec accent, as we learned later, disturbed certain CBC employees, particularly Cecil Fernandes. Why didn't you let Cecil Fernandes and Émilie Brazeau-Béliveau come here to the committee and explain that poor decision?
6:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
I accept responsibility for all CBC/Radio-Canada employees. If any harm was done, or if a mistake was made, I accept responsibility for it as CEO.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Pardon me, but it isn't up to you to decide whom the Parliamentary committees hear. It's not up to you to decide whether parliamentarians aren't entitled to hear the person who made that poor decision.
In your last appearance, you claimed in your opening remarks that you were concerned about the fact that the parliamentary power of a committee could be used to compel the appearance of employees who make journalistic decisions every day.
How was the decision to have a podcast translated in France rather than in Quebec journalistic?
6:15 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
The Broadcasting Act very clearly states that we have independence with respect to journalistic content as well as programming decisions. That's why, in this case, the interest—
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
What are you afraid of? Why are you afraid to let Cecil Fernandes, executive producer of CBC Podcasts, and Émilie Brazeau-Béliveau, first head of advertising, marketing and radio and audio public relations, appear before the committee?
What are you so afraid they'll come and tell us? Do you think the CBC is above legislators and the law?
Parliament has a right to summon any person to testify before it. That power extends beyond the Broadcasting Act, which you just mentioned.
Why then are you, as president of CBC/Radio-Canada, preventing the Canadian public from knowing why those individuals made bad decisions using Canadian taxpayers' money?
6:15 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
We clearly said that it was a mistake, and it is my role as CEO to apologize. We've done that.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
I'm not talking about apologies. I want to understand why such a decision was made.
Where does this disrespect that Mr. Fernandes has for the Quebec accent come from? He alone can explain why he thought it was a good idea to pay a company established in France to translate a podcast into French because the Quebec accent didn't pass muster. You can't answer that question.
Ms. Tait, your refusal to let those two individuals testify before the committee constitutes a lack of respect for this committee and for Parliament.
6:15 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
I'm sorry, but that's not at all the case. I have enormous respect for the process.
I understood that it was my responsibility to appear before the committee. When you refer to the independence of CBC/Radio-Canada, there is—
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
6:15 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada
—something. My colleague has always been asked—
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
No, I don't want…
Thank you, Ms. Tait. I have finished asking my questions. You don't want those people to testify before the committee.
Mr. Chair, if I may, I am going to yield the rest of my time to Mrs. Goodridge.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Joël Godin
Thank you, Mr. Berthold.
Mrs. Goodridge now has the floor for one minute.
6:15 p.m.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
After eight years of Liberal government, the carbon tax is undermining both the heart of rural life and the precious francophone culture—