The importance of the artifacts, collections, information, and program archives that the corporation has assembled at its network headquarters and its stations and production centres across the country cannot be overemphasized. They are a public trust. Taken together, they document the story of Canada's development in the last century.
We recognize, of course, that the CBC's core business is not running museums or the development of national collections, but the fact is that as a result of its national broadcasting mandate, it has become both an integral part of the history of Canada and the inadvertent guardian of major collections, everything from resplendent costume collections to amazing photo archives--all irreplaceable. Canadians should be grateful to the CBC for having these in their possession.
All of this must be of interest to members of this committee, because you too share responsibility for telling the story of broadcasting and its pivotal role as the electronic railroad in nation building in the northern half of North America. The CBC's archives and collections are a keystone of the building blocks for that important saga and must be preserved and accessible so that the story can continue to be told.