Good afternoon, and a good sunny Friday in Montreal.
Mr. Chairman, in an increasingly fragmented media universe, where the number of classic broadcasting services as well as the number of new broadcasting windows and platforms are increasing, it is more essential than ever to preserve this anchor point which connects all Canadians, the national public broadcaster. A broadcaster whose distinctive, diverse and predominantly Canadian programming is widely available in every region of Canada, in both the official languages, and on radio and television as well as the new media. Recognition of this principle is crucial. For it is at the heart of what has characterized the Canadian broadcasting system for decades and what should continue to characterize it in the coming century, that being the existence of both public and private components that are strong and solidly rooted and that complement and emulate each other, thereby offering Canadian citizens a true diversity of programming and editorial voices.
It goes without saying that such a national public broadcaster cannot fully play its role unless it has the appropriate financial resources at its disposal. In our view, it is very important that the majority of those resources come from the State, from parliamentary appropriations. Essentially, what distinguishes a public broadcaster from a private broadcaster is that the former is not primarily dependent on market forces and commercial revenues. It is this independence that allows it to give precedence to the public interest and the social and cultural objectives of the Act. It is this independence that guarantees the distinctive and complementary character of its programming and its capacity to fulfil its public service mission.
Furthermore, the financial resources that come from the State must be substantial enough to allow the CBC to carry out its mandate under the Broadcasting Act in full. On this subject, if it is true, as CBC/Radio-Canada maintains, that between 1990 and 2005 its parliamentary appropriation increased by only 2.3% in current dollars and decreased by 33% in constant dollars, that is, by close to $375 million, that is matter for concern. An adjustment is urgently needed: CBC/Radio-Canada must be restored the resources to realize its ambitions and full capacity to fulfil the mission it has been entrusted by Parliament. It is also essential, in our view, that the CBC’s core television networks continue to be general-interest and to offer the Canadian public a diverse and balanced range of information and entertainment programs in all genres.
The CBC must attempt to reach all of the socio-economic segments and age groups of the Canadian population by offering programming in a variety of genres likely to meet the needs, tastes and expectations of Canadian men, women and children. Of course, this generalist mission is not incompatible with the need to assign priority to certain programming categories that are not sufficiently represented in the private component of the broadcasting system or that are of exceptional importance in promoting Quebec and Canadian artistic creativity and cultural identity. In the current context, we feel that the CBC should make special efforts to encourage the production of original Canadian programming in the following sectors: drama, children’s programs, documentaries and cultural programming.
The Broadcasting Act stipulates that the programming offered by the Canadian broadcasting system must make substantial use of Canadian independent producers. This obligation is contributing to an essential diversification of producers and in return offering thousands of freelance Canadian creators, artists and artisans a variety of entry points into the Canadian broadcasting system. These are essential gains, which must not be called into question or compromised.
In this era of constantly rising private-sector concentration of ownership, convergence, vertical integration and multimedia cross-ownership, it is essential that the national public broadcaster play a heightened and exemplary role supporting the development of a versatile, varied and dynamic Canadian independent production sector.
That is why we believe that a growing portion of CBC/Radio-Canada’s annual spending on original Canadian programming should be allocated by statute to funding independent programs produced by a wide variety of Canadian producers in every area of programming that we have identified as a priority.
Claire, do you want to conclude?