I have to say, Mr. Chairman, that I'm certainly glad my dear old granny is not alive to watch reality TV every night. She would have been shaking her head. I mention that because my family are from the Maritimes. They were Cape Breton gold miners, and we lived in exile until our new exile became our home. Variety television was a big part of our sense of belonging someplace: the John Allan Cameron shows, Don Messer. We set our clocks to those shows.
I don't see that ever on television. It came to me the other day, because I was in Rouyn-Noranda, in my neighbouring riding of Abitibi—Témiscamingue, and I saw two variety shows at one time, on prime time, on two different stations, giving the kind of programming we used to take for granted up to, I'd say, the seventies and the eighties. I never see that.
Do you think the loss of that kind of programming—I'm not just saying a regional maritime voice, but actual variety, showing music and Canadian stories in a variety format—has affected the ability of Newfoundland artists to be seen in the rest of this country?