Canadian Heritage Committee on April 11th, 2007

[Rea Kavanagh, Vice-President, ACTRA (Manitoba)]

The need for regional programming and regional content has been well proved in the news sector of the CBC. When they had the massive cutbacks, of course there became far more of a national focus to the news programming. I do believe they've switched back to a more regional focus now, having failed in that experiment. That has proven to be a worthwhile venture for the CBC in terms of listenership and people watching, and I believe it's a sound model that can be applied to drama as well.

[Tina Keeper, Liberal, Churchill, MB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Go ahead, Ms. Neville.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Do we have more time?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

I'll let you have one right now, on this wave.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Thank you very much.

He's a very gentle chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

I'm pretty easy.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I thank you all for coming. We've met before on a number of your issues.

Ms. Bajer, I was stressed when you commented about the heyday of the CBC in the mid-nineties and what it meant to you, what it meant to families across the country, and the synergy that it created with the artistic community. What's different now, for you as an artist and for other artists here? Does CBC Winnipeg currently have the capacity to do what it did? I know money is an issue, but does it have the physical capacity to do what it did in the mid-nineties for you?

And just as one other question of clarity, when you talk about producing dramas regionally, I'm assuming you're not saying the dramas have to have regional content. They can be whatever, but just produced regionally.

[Sharon Bajer]

Just produced regionally, yes.

I'll speak about radio. When I first came here, the radio drama component was very active. Now I think that room is used for other things at the CBC. But it was fabulous. They were commissioning theatre troupes. Primus Theatre was here for about ten years, and they produced many things for CBC radio. Many local writers were involved. Being hired as an actor to do radio spots was one of my regular gigs—not commercially, but dramatically—but I rarely have gotten a call in the past five or six years.

You can say the same? Yes?

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I know time is an issue, Mr. Chair, but I just have a quick follow-up.

Has this resulted in people leaving Winnipeg?

[Sharon Bajer]

Yes. Primus is gone.

When I first came in the early nineties, there seemed to be a convergence of artists coming to Manitoba. I look around and they're not here anymore. There are one or two, but it just no longer feels vibrant. It's a struggle.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Thank you.

Ms. Bourgeois.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am very happy that you are here with us this morning.

I have some brief questions to ask, of course, Mr. Chairman, and I will begin with Mr. Dorge.

First, I find it important that you were able to speak to us in French and to tell us about the Franco-Manitoban community. I feared that the Franco-Manitoban community would testify about its problems here today. As you know, I am particularly attached to francophones outside Quebec.

I would like to know how many French-speakers there are here in Manitoba. Would you have an approximate figure?

[Claude Dorge]

We may make up about 10% of the population, but I am terrible with figures; I apologize.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Figures speak volumes, and this would be important. You deplored the fact that almost all of the programs broadcast here to Franco-Manitobans were produced in Quebec.

Does that mean that Franco-Manitobans enjoy practically no television coverage here?

[Claude Dorge]

No, insofar as drama and variety programs are concerned, there is none.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

What coverage do they have?

[Claude Dorge]

We have the news. In western Canada, there is a program called ZigZag. It is a cultural program, but it is only broadcast in the west. That is all we have.

This afternoon I believe a representative from Productions Rivard is supposed to come and testify before you. That firm did indeed carry out a few projects, and its representative will be able to give you further details. If I'm not mistaken I believe that it has closer links with TVA than with Radio-Canada.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

So there is no francophone coverage happening here, if I understand correctly.

[Claude Dorge]

Approximately 10, 15 or 20 years ago, locally, Radio-Canada filmed one of the plays put on by the Cercle Molière per season, which was enormous at the time. It was a privilege for us to see our actors on stage. Of course, since the cuts, all of this has vanished, but at the time, it was really extraordinary that a local theatre company saw one of its productions per season on the TV screen.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

What happened? Why is this no longer the case?

[Claude Dorge]

It was the budget cuts that...

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Are you sure? What year are we talking about, approximately?

[Claude Dorge]

This goes back at least 15 years.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

At least 15 years.