Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
In comparison with what I've heard today—and I've been here all day—which has been quite in depth, my presentation is very basic, straightforward. I hope you'll bear with me.
I have a British heritage. In 1965 I had the opportunity to apply to Canada for landed immigrant status and was privileged to be granted full Canadian citizenship in 1971.
One of the attractions of becoming a Canadian at that time was having the opportunity to view and listen to genuine Canadian productions by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Coming from Britain, where the British Broadcasting Corporation held sway and produced outstanding programs and documentaries of a very high standard, I was encouraged to enter an environment where a similar organization beamed its programming nationwide, thus helping to unite, inform, solidify, educate, and give identity to a young and growing nation. In those early days I felt that the CBC was the glue that held the nation together and promoted unity, just as in earlier years the national railway provided the links for this great country.
Today, it seems to me, the fabric of the CBC is being undermined for a number of reasons: underfunding, political interference, and too few high-calibre employees. There is a deliberate attempt to make it impossible to meet the goals laid down in the CBC mandate, which is to make the service national, regional, and local, to be shared throughout the land.
The standard of programs has also deteriorated. The quality and content in both artistry and taste has seriously diminished. The one major failing of the structure of the CBC is the method of selection of board members and governors of this very important organization. Why should any elected Prime Minister have the power to appoint key members of the corporation, including the president and members of the board? This is absolutely ludicrous.
Some of the best television and radio is provided by public broadcasting through personal and corporate donations. The beauty of this type of programming is the absence of incessant advertising and constant propaganda. To compete with this, there needs to be adequate funding, superior management, and dedicated, capable workers to show the world what Canadians can produce without the hype and gross secularism that sponsorship is bound to encourage. Only in this way can Canada put its name to an independent service that the world can admire and of which Canadians can be truly proud.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.