I think radio plays a particularly important role, and in the five months since I have been commissioner, I have been very struck by the degree to which local Radio-Canada programming across the country is very vigilant in following the news that affects their listeners.
I found that I'm watched like a hawk by the various French language programs across the country, and in any of the travels that I've done at this point, not only am I followed by Radio-Canada journalists, but I have also become aware of the degree to which the groups, the organizations, the citizens that I meet, themselves get a great deal of their local and regional information from Radio-Canada.
Television is a bit more complicated. I think that CBC television, both in French and in English, has been handicapped by the funding limitations. There was a period a few years ago when, faced with some hard financial choices, CBC decided to eliminate a large number of local programs, and it was basically this committee that came back to the CBC and said, “No, no. We insist on your playing that role.” But they do have these serious financial challenges in trying to play both the national and international and a vital regional and local role.