Evidence of meeting #40 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 yellowknife.
As an Individual
I don't have the specific numbers, but the language commissioner's office would probably have more valid statistics. I can tell you for sure that the most spoken aboriginal language in the Northwest Territories is the Tli Cho language, Dogrib, and next to it would be Chipewyan, and Slavey as well.
Liberal
Larry Bagnell Liberal Yukon, YT
In the Yukon we have a part-time Radio-Canada reporter. Actually, the CBC, the English station, also carries French language programming and aboriginal language programming. I'm wondering if that occurs in the Northwest Territories.
As an Individual
No, it doesn't. There are no reporters...well, there are reporters who do speak French, but they work for the CBC, they don't work for Radio-Canada. So there's there's no reporter. And with regard to programming, there's no French programming on CBC North. We do have community radio, but it's apart from CBC. The community built it all together.
As an Individual
Yes. There's also a community radio that offers broadcasting in aboriginal languages.
Conservative
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased that we've chosen to come to Yellowknife. People, particularly francophones, have come to tell us that they find it hard to access information and to have their own local network in French.
First, I want to congratulate all the francophones here present. Among you there are Pellerins, Morins, Foisys and Provenchers. Those are all francophone family names. In fact, Mr. Provencher spoke in French, but I think Mr. Foisy spoke in English more out of nervousness.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
It doesn't slow down the process. In Quebec, when francophones come to speak before a committee, they don't slow down the process at all, since we have interpreters.
Ms. Morin and Mr. O'Brien came to tell us that what the CBC was offering completely coincided with what they needed here in the High North. On the other hand, Mr. Foisy and Mr. Provencher told us that there was a lack of services in French at the CBC.
We received a number of briefs from people that we will unfortunately be unable to meet. You can see Canada's duality in them. The anglophones say that the CBC completely corresponds to what they need. The francophones say that they're not getting enough, that they aren't represented.
Have I clearly understood your message?
Executive Director, Fédération Franco-TéNOise
In response to your question, Ms. Bourgeois, the presentation I made was validated by the network of franco-ténois associations, thus by all the francophone associations of the Northwest Territories, including representatives in Inuvik, Fort Smith, Hay River and Yellowknife. The position of the francophone community of the Northwest Territories is the one I read to you. I entirely respect the remarks of Ms. Morin and Ms. Pellerin. However, they told us their opinion on the services they receive from the CBC, the English-language network. I didn't hear any comments on the French-language network.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
That's true.
I'd like to ask Mr. Foisy and perhaps even Mr. Provencher a question. Mr. Foisy proposed some solutions. He suggested that there be a local network that could operate on its own, in order to provide an adequate response to francophones' needs and that funds be invested in it, and so on. I find that very promising. I was wondering whether I correctly understood what you were asking.
As an Individual
As I told you, I'm speaking as an individual. I can't speak on behalf of francophones, as Mr. Provencher is doing; I'm one citizen among so many others.
As an Individual
Absolutely, I am a journalist here in the Northwest Territories.
For a number of years, francophones have been asking for the signal, but Radio-Canada has never offered it. On the contrary, it has allowed them to obtain a rebroadcasting licence at their own expense, as I explained earlier. That shows that Radio-Canada is not interested in offering us the feed or even in us having our local station, which would be ideal for local news. We'd like to have local news. I'm thinking of the people of Hay River, Inuvik and Fort Smith, who don't even have radio in French.
Observing this lack of interest, I'm saying that we have the necessary people and infrastructures. We have a local community radio station, and we are interested in having a news program in French. I'm suggesting that Radio-Canada, if it doesn't want to pay for a journalist in Yellowknife, at least set money aside for a fund enabling the communities—perhaps others in Canada are in our situation—to use that fund to pay journalists at their community stations. We could eventually make those community stations accessible to communities such as Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik, which have no radio. That would be much higher quality news than when a journalist is parachuted in here from Montreal to tell us how to think. That would be news that comes from here.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
My last question is for Léo-Paul Provencher. Mr. Provencher, in your brief, you refer to the Act and to Radio-Canada's mandate. If I understood correctly, Radio-Canada is not carrying out its mandate with respect to francophones outside Quebec. Did I understand correctly?
Executive Director, Fédération Franco-TéNOise
The comments by the francophone community of the Northwest Territories show that Radio-Canada is facing major challenges. I would have liked to respond a little to your previous question, which is perhaps related to the one you've just asked me. I think the government radio network has a responsibility. We often hear the expression "accountable" used wrongly. In fact, it is definitely responsible for enabling this region to enable all of Canada to enjoy the information and regional contribution that our community can make to Canada's cultural diversity. We have the ability to contribute to that.
I would add that the francophone community of the Northwest Territories will never have the necessary population percentages to achieve high ratings. The government radio network must therefore adopt exceptional measures, or else we will be automatically eliminated, since we don't have the weight. Not only are the percentages low, there also aren't many of us.
Our main demand is that the government radio broadcaster invest the necessary funds. Parliament must authorize specific funding.
NDP
Dennis Bevington NDP Western Arctic, NT
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'm very pleased you've chosen to come to the Northwest Territories, and to Yellowknife. We have a huge affection for CBC in the north, which is evident here. I think it's great.
As the member of Parliament for the Western Arctic, I can understand the confusion about names sometimes. Certainly we're not really western, and in some ways we're not the Arctic, because of course most of us live well within the treeline. So the name of this riding is a bit off. This riding really does represent a jurisdictional entity that is a province in waiting. It's a very interesting and important part of the country, and part of the future of the country.
The CBC has to be here, of course, as it does in the other two territories; they're part of the future of Canada. The public broadcaster has a very special role in this unique and developing political jurisdiction that we have in the Northwest Territories, in the Yukon, in Nunavut.
These are real issues around the presence of CBC here. You've heard people allude to them. CBC, of course, in the beginning in the north was always known as a very community-oriented service that linked not only communities but persons and families in a very special way. That sort of flavour we don't have quite as much of as we used to, perhaps.
I have some questions for you, Mr. Shaw, about the cable service. With the different forms of communication that we may have in the future, do you see ways in which we can create those linkages that we need in the north--the personal linkages, the things that make us a unique area? We have great connections and families and friends throughout the north. How do you see this building out of the service you're providing? Do you see opportunities in the future for better video conferencing, something we've called for in the north for years? You talk about streaming video and presentations on the Internet. How do you see this moving forward with the services you're providing?
General Manager, Northwestel Cable
I think things will evolve over time. This week I may not consume local or regional CBC personally, but I'll listen to CBC Radio 3 in my car, Sirius Radio. I may check the CBC North website for local news. Across the north, new technology definitely has a role to play as people have different preferences. They're consuming less television. They may be streaming radio on the Internet. They may be going to different sources such as podcasts for their information.
So it is playing a role. It is evolving whether we like it or not. I think the CBC, especially in the north, is already fulfilling some of that by enabling these new technologies. Things are changing today, and it will continue over the next several years.
NDP
Dennis Bevington NDP Western Arctic, NT
Do you see this change happening with the CBC taking on some of these services? I'm still not sure they're completely open to all of the technologies that may be there. They have a certain high quality of television broadcasting; I don't see their using lower-quality television connections to interlink different parts of the north. There might be potential for us there, but you say they are moving forward.
General Manager, Northwestel Cable
As an example, today, if you're looking for local news about the north, where are you going to go? You're probably going to go to the CBC North website. If you're interested in a news story from Iqaluit, you may stream the Iqaluit radio station, or you could watch a taped video broadcast. Those technologies are there today, and they will continue to evolve over the next several years.
NDP
Dennis Bevington NDP Western Arctic, NT
Yes, but you don't see the development of the YouTube type of communication seen in the south. You don't see a more organized fashion of using it in the public broadcasting realm to provide even greater access between communities.
