Thank you, Mr. Chair, members of the committee, and assembled guests.
l'd like to thank you all for the opportunity to meet with you and talk with you about my recent appointment as a full-time member of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
As you know, the CRTC oversees the broadcasting and telecommunications industries. These two industries employ thousands of people and occupy a vital place in the daily lives of Canadians, so this is, without a doubt, a very important appointment, and one I take very seriously. It's only natural that the members of this committee do too.
Before I get to my qualifications, please allow me a minute to tell you a little bit about myself.
I was born and raised in Toronto. l'm a first-generation Canadian. My parents came to this country from Italy during the 1950s. Were they alive today, I have no doubt they would be extremely proud of this appointment. Those with immigrant parents will know what I mean.
Many of my relatives came through Pier 21 in Halifax before moving on to Toronto, where most of them still live. While I was growing up, my family was very much involved in the city's Italian community, and my upbringing gave me a strong appreciation for Canada's multicultural society.
l attended Centennial College, where l completed a three-year broadcasting course. Not long after my graduation, l began working full time at Citytv and later at MuchMusic. My duties were mostly of a technical nature for the first seven years of my career. It was there the CRTC and its rules and regulations all became part of my daily working life. In master control, for instance, we had to stick to content and regulatory rules.
Those were the early days, especially in television, and Citytv was breaking new ground by airing cutting-edge programs, which meant we all had to be mindful of the CRTC's rules. Words like satellite coordinates, simulcasts, Canadian content, cable TV, and specialty channels all became part of my vocabulary and stayed there as l went to work for MuchMusic.
l later worked in the cable industry with CUC in Scarborough and gained an appreciation for community access television. Within nine months l'd caught the attention of what was then ATV and was soon working for CHUM all over again, this time in the Maritimes, managing a news bureau in Bathurst, New Brunswick. It was a one-person operation, and for two and a half years l pretty much did it all. It was everything from dealing with satellite feeds to meeting the editorial demands of a huge area stretching from Quebec to the fishing communities along the Acadian Peninsula and south to the Miramichi.
I quickly gained an appreciation for the issues associated with broadcasting in the regions. I also learned some French during my time in Bathurst, which has given me a foundation I intend to build upon.
I've spent the last 14 and a half years at CTV Atlantic, working as a reporter, producer, writer, and anchor. Nine of those years were spent covering the Nova Scotia legislature, during which time I covered three premiers and eight provincial budgets.
Business reporting became a keen interest of mine, and I filed for Report on Business TV, as well as for CTV National and Newsnet.
Three years ago I was invited to run as a Conservative in Dartmouth--Cole Harbour. As an immigrant son from a humble background, I was genuinely thrilled to have been offered this opportunity. I thought long and hard about it and considered several factors before reaching my decision. As a journalist, I had spent almost a decade covering politics and had developed a keen interest in public policy issues. I was also eager to take on a new challenge.
It soon became obvious that there would be no election, and rather than remain in limbo I returned to CTV after an absence of only four weeks. I was happy to return to what I had been doing for almost a quarter of a century by that point. That was three years ago, and I have not been politically active since.
I'm proud to say I went on to do perhaps much of my best work when I returned to CTV. I continued to increase my profile and gain the respect of colleagues in the industry. My stories were regularly picked up by CTV's national affiliates and other national networks.
One of the most important lessons I learned as a TV journalist was that I had to be accountable to viewers. I had to earn their trust each and every day. You can be sure that viewers let you know whether or not you're doing a good job.
Although my appointment to the CRTC marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life, I see my role in a similar light. We must never lose sight of the fact that the airwaves belong to the public. We must ensure that Canadian voices are heard and Canadian stories are told throughout our broadcasting system.
This is a critical time for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries. As you know, the world is changing when you can view TV clips on your cellphone or sign up for home phone service with a cable company. It's an exciting time to join the CRTC, and I'm absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to bring another east coast perspective to the regulator.
Given my understanding of the realities of life outside central Canada and my experience in broadcasting, I look forward to making a positive contribution to the commission.
I would be happy now to answer any questions you might have. Thank you.