Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
First of all, let me say that I was not expecting to hear you deal with these subjects. The documents that you had provided were all focused on your request for an $18-million fund. I am nevertheless quite happy to hear you speak about other issues. Committee members visited some locations in Canada. We were led to believe that the CBC/SRC radio was quite successful, that it had a large listening audience and provided a service that virtually everyone could access, with the exception of the francophone communities that were fighting to have their radio station recognized.
You presentation was very interesting, inasmuch as you may be the answer to a request we received for a more immediate type of radio service. I think you could meet a number of local needs. Do you ever hear from people outside the region? I am thinking, for example, of the anglophone provinces. A large number of French-language communities outside Quebec have inadequate services, and, like you, they are in need of funding.
Moreover, and I will close with this, Mr. Chairman, you wanted to meet with Bev Oda, but she declined the invitation. I would like to know what is behind her refusal and what reason she gave. The time has come for us to know: we are in committee.