Evidence of meeting #13 for Canadian Heritage in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was programming.
A recording is available from Parliament.
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Yes, every 10 years, the government makes a decision with regard to taxation and inflation. This means that the BBC knows exactly how much money it will have over a 10-year period. In the seventh year of that cycle, discussions are initiated for the next 10-year period.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Therefore, we are looking at a minimum of seven years and a maximum, ideally, of 10 years.
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Ten years would be ideal. I am willing to accept five years, however...
Liberal
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
No. For us, the ideal is 10 years.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
If I understand correctly, you are already committing yourself to productions for the 2008 season?
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
At least until then.
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
In fact, Richard and Sylvain have already made decisions for the year...
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I have two questions, the first one is brief and the second one is somewhat longer. Concerning the upcoming Olympic Games that will be held in Whistler...
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Are you talking about the Beijing Games, or those that will be held in Canada?
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I am talking about those you will not be broadcasting. The CBC is the broadcaster of the Beijing Games.
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
We will be the broadcaster in 2008, but not in 2010.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I am concerned about the 2010 Games for the Canadian French-speaking community. I know that the rights holder is concerned by the situation and was supposed to find a solution to broadcast the games to francophones from coast to coast.
Do you know if a solution has been found? If not, is the CBC ready to be part of that solution?
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
I have to say that I have not been updated on the current state of affairs. I know that when they gave their presentations to the International Olympic Committee, they said that the French-language service would not be a problem, and that it would be provided by TQS and RDS.
I spoke with Mr. Rogue in Turin and told him that this situation would be unacceptable to Canadians, because there are one million francophones outside Quebec who use a French-language service. Not only will the English-language service be translated into French, but our Olympic service will provide two completely different programmings.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
My question is whether the CBC is ready to be part of the solution.
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
If you are talking about our French-language program, the answer is yes, but we will not simply use their signal.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Thank you. I respect that.
I want to go back to my first question, from the first round.
You have highlighted that in a mandate review, there should be some focus in terms of programming media--the local, regional, and national news,
the production of drama programs and the unifying role played by sports.
You also mentioned that you would like to see a periodic revision of the law, every five years, such as we do in banks, for instance. But you didn't answer my question on whether or not in this mandate review you see a need to analyze the relationship between the CBC and the CRTC, for instance, or between the CBC and the rest of the broadcasting universe in the country, the CBC and Radio-Canada.
So perhaps you can comment on that. If you haven't the time, then I would really appreciate having, perhaps in writing, whatever you feel you can share with members of the committee on that topic.
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
I haven't really developed the position, and we don't have an official position, but I would say this. If...and again, it depends on how broad a mandate review, and if the mandate review will also include amending the act. Right now the act dictates—and I say that in the correct way—our relationship with the CRTC. But I think if we get to the point where, as part of the first mandate review, there is a decision to do mandate reviews on a regular basis—every seven to ten years—then that is the contract that should exist. That is the contract between the government and the public broadcaster.
I see the role of the CRTC then changing as one of perhaps just overseeing that the contract's being met--although I'm not even sure about that. But I think the real contract should be with you.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I ask, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Rabinovitch, because the House has unanimously approved the report from this committee that stated this committee should be offered an opportunity by the government to comment on the terms of reference of any mandated review--of structure, of whatever it may be--before it is launched. It would be important for us, as members of this committee, to have some formal thoughts from CBC and Radio-Canada on what elements they would like to see incorporated in such a mandated review, if ever it happens and whenever it happens.
Thank you.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
We're here talking about the mandate of the CBC, and I'd like to canvass the whole issue of sports. Rumour has it, I am told, there are people in CTV who are absolutely convinced they're going to end up with Hockey Night in Canada, and all of this kind of thing that's kicking around. Considering the revenue stream to the CBC for Hockey Night in Canada, and assuming there are obviously some costs, I don't imagine that you could answer.... I'm sure you can't answer this question. I'm curious to know if you could give us a ballpark of what the net is to the CBC between the costs and the expenditures. I will completely understand if you can't answer that question.
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The fact is I can't, directly.
The question is much more complex than that. It also includes what you're going to do with the 400 hours that you're not now using for hockey, and how are you going to program those? There's a question of replacement costs.
If, in fact, the NHL goes to CTV--and it's distinctly possible--it would be very unfortunate, because I think it is the oldest mandate we have at the CBC, but it is distinctly possible that we will have to seriously re-evaluate almost everything about English television.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
That brings me exactly to my point. We've got our thumb right on it.
I can only report what people talk to Jim Abbott about. I have people who speak very positively about all of the French-language services. I have people who speak very positively about RDI and Newsworld, and Radio Canada International. Every now and then I get a little bit of unhappiness over Radio Two, but so be it. It's only a 3% market share, so it's not a big deal.
The bone of contention in the minds of an awful lot of people outside of the francophone community of Canada is the question of exactly where CBC English television fits, and I think you've probably put your finger right on the issue.
Apart from news, which is also interlinked with Newsworld, as the distinctive feature of the CBC, it was the Olympics. At Whistler that is now going to be going over to CTV, and there is the possibility now of Hockey Night in Canada . It is the bedrock of what CBC English television is about.
I think we're going to have to get very serious. When I say “we”, I mean the minister, the ministry, the CBC, this committee, and Canadians becoming engaged as to exactly where CBC English television fits, because this is a real possibility; it could happen. We are talking hypothetically, but nonetheless there's a large size to this hypothetical train that might be coming into the station. We're talking about an absolutely massive change to CBC English television--the reason for its existence, how it's going to support itself, and all the rest of that.
That's such a broad topic, but I wonder if you'd care to comment on it.
President and Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
I would like to, actually, and I would like Richard to comment, since he's the point man on precisely the problem.
I would say, Mr. Abbott, we're going to have a problem with English television for a long, long time, simply because of the level of competition and the alternatives that exist in the English market. But I believe very strongly that there is a role beyond hockey and beyond the Olympics in English television, and if we can't fulfill that role the government will have to decide what to do about it.
I believe there's an unbelievably important role in terms of telling Canadian stories, doing Canadian dramas, and doing it in the hours of prime time and not as fillers in order to meet conditions of licence. Some of it is done very well by the private sector, but our job is to do quality Canadian programming, not only news and current affairs, but drama and various forms of drama. Drama, I would say, is a very broad term. In the BBC's new licence renewal, that word “drama” is dropped and is replaced with the word “entertainment”. It says the public broadcaster must do entertaining programming.
So I believe we have to do that. It's a challenge--and I don't want to really get into it today--because we are grossly underfunded, given the costs involved for production. That's one of the reasons why we're pushing some things like subscriber fees. That's why we were pushing what we have done internally to generate new funds, because all of it goes right back into programming. This is why I'd be more than willing to go through all this with you. But we do have a strategy. Whether it works or not, only time will tell. The Canadian public will vote; they'll vote with their flipper, as we say.
Richard, do you want to go into a bit of this? I think it's really important.
