The CRTC's role with respect to the Société Radio-Canada is similar to the role it plays with respect to the CBC. Although we are close to these organizations, their mandate is clear and it is also included in the Canadian Broadcasting Act. We are therefore required to apply slightly different regulations. We must be very conscious of their specific mandates and of the fact that in terms of financial resources, when it come to modernization, they probably do not have the same flexibility nor, at the very least, the same access to capital as would private broadcasters. This is certainly a factor we have to bear in mind when we are looking at renewing their licences. Under the act we must consult Radio-Canada. There is also a specific right of appeal for the minister. The process used in the case of the Société Radio-Canada is quite different from what we use for private broadcasters.
In a general sense, we believe that broadcasting for the francophone market in Canada, specifically in Quebec, is very successful, especially when compared with the English Canadian market. Quebeckers and French Canadians seek out a product which is in their image far more so than English-speaking Canadians do. Their market may be smaller, which in and of itself involves challenges, but this same market supports francophone television and broadcasters.
It is a great success story, and it is probably less necessary to intervene in this market than it is to intervene in the English Canadian market in order to meet the objectives under the act. Being cognizant of the results and of the differences observed in the market, we make distinctions in applying the regulations.