Evidence of meeting #23 for Canadian Heritage in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was violent.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4 p.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Your organization is known for its popular education program, and I guess that's the major focus of your work. You've had support from the CSQ, the Optimists Club, and the Knights of Columbus.
Have you had support from broadcasters for doing this kind of popular education or media literacy work that you do?
4 p.m.
Founding President, TROP-PEACE Association
My friend, you remind me that there are times when discretion is the better part of valour. No broadcaster is going to invite me to come and lambaste its programming. They will tell me that I can stay home if that is what I have to say. Anyway, they do not invite me. But community television does. For example, when I go to the Gaspé, the community television station often records me for an hour in the cathedral in Gaspé itself, and then broadcasts what I have to say at different times of day, sometimes for two months, so that it reaches the greatest possible number of people. That is local television, of course, the community channel. It is wonderful, and the same thing happens in other places, whether it is Lac Saint-Jean, elsewhere in Quebec or even in the east of Ontario.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Do you think there should be an obligation on the part of private broadcasters to give the same kind of access to media literacy on their own airwaves, as part of their own programming, that the community broadcasters do?
4:05 p.m.
Founding President, TROP-PEACE Association
You mention radio stations. I started doing radio when I was 14, about 70 years ago. Radio was better then than it is today. I regret that and I find it unfortunate to see radio stations allowing, for example, so-called comedians swearing and saying terrible things on the air. Kids have their headsets these days and they hear those things. I feel the same way about the stories on television or video games. There are good video games, just like there are good things on the Internet.
The other day, a young girl told me that she had learned five languages, including Russian. I asked her where she had learned Russian. She said that she had learned it on the Internet. She had even learned how to pronounce it. You cannot tell kids that you forbid them to do something. You have to say "suggest", because the moment you forbid children to do something, they will go and do it. But if you make a suggestion, you are engaging them and getting them on your side. Perhaps you are getting somewhere with them.
I always come back to the identity card I mentioned. I went to congratulate the students after the three months. Well, if this big fifteen-year-old guy did not get up and use an expression that I have not heard for a long time. He said that he was the kind of guy who could easily freak out. He meant that he had a terrible attitude and got angry for any little reason. He went on to say that, thanks to some people, whom he mentioned by name, he had managed to improve and that he really wanted to thank them. Some girls were so surprised that they went over to give him a kiss. It was not staged, it had not been prepared. But the improvement had still been recognized in an official way.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Thank you.
That was a short and long question.
Mr. Abbott, please.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Mr. Caron, I want to congratulate you. I'm sure there are some other things that might be of interest to you at 82 years of age. I really commend you for your commitment to this.
I also commend the people you represent. I think bringing this forward to Parliament is exactly the right thing to be doing. I note the number of organizations you represent.
The objective of this committee, however, is to determine if this bill will achieve its objective. I'd like to say, certainly on behalf of the government, that the government and the government members here share your concern, but that isn't the issue. The issue is whether this particular bill will actually achieve the objective that you're out to achieve.
In order to help us come to that conclusion, since you named off a few facts, I would like our researchers to know what those sources were. You said 80% of violence is before 9 p.m. The second thing you said, amongst many others, is that thousands of studies show cause and effect.
Can you help our researchers with the background for those two assertions that you've made?
4:10 p.m.
Founding President, TROP-PEACE Association
Sir, these results have been published in newspapers. At any time, you can read in the papers that...I read an enormous amount, all the papers, and I discovered, for example, because I just wanted you to...For sure, the figures that I have given you have been published in newspapers all over the world. For example, I read a few days ago that Belgium was going to spend six million Canadian dollars—they gave the figure in euros as well—to combat violence in the media.
The day before yesterday, there was an article in the paper that said that no private Canadian network was immune to the violence in American films. I did not make that up, it was in the papers. If I had anticipated your kind question, I would have brought newspaper clippings and I would have been able to show you. I did not expect to have to prove things that have already been said or reports that have already been written. I have followed your discussions and I think that those reports have already been mentioned. Their authenticity is no figment of my imagination.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Okay. Well, if you can help us by getting any of this background to our researchers, that would be very helpful.
There's a bit of a problem that we're running into in terms of technology now, and that is with satellite--Bell ExpressVu and Star Choice--and the other part of the cable programming. I happen to live a two-hour time zone from Ottawa. In fact, most of the province I come from is three hours' time difference from Ottawa. It's four hours' time difference from Halifax and four and a half hours from St. John's.
With that, children in British Columbia can easily go onto their satellite or their cable, and if we shut down the violent programming that we're aiming at here in Halifax at 9 p.m., that becomes 5 p.m. in Vancouver. Do you have any suggestions for how we would get around this time shifting? Obviously, the children have access to this kind of violent programming at a time that's four to four and a half hours different from the other side of our great country.
4:10 p.m.
Founding President, TROP-PEACE Association
That is when you realize how big our country is. It is clearly a problem. I do not claim to be an expert who is able to solve these problems. I am, like the government and a number of other people, a little out of my depth there. Nevertheless, I thought that if we were to encourage a change in behaviour, whatever time it is in Vancouver and Halifax, our children would perhaps be able to live in a better world and have a better future.
The question that you sprung on me is clearly an excellent one. I would like to be able to answer it, but I do not see how I could do so.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Okay.
In trying to hit this target of violence on television, you also mentioned video games, Internet, obviously DVDs, and other things that children can bring home. If this hits the television, and if we just apply the number of 20%, say, just for the sake of having this discussion, in terms of what the children would be subjected to--other than video games, the Internet, DVDs, and other forms of entertainment--do you think it would be worthwhile going ahead with this legislation when it has the outside potential of possibly hitting about 20% of the problem?
4:15 p.m.
Founding President, TROP-PEACE Association
If we cannot control the liberties that broadcasters take, how do we imagine that, one day, we will be able to control the abuse that is happening on the Internet, like the fraudsters and pedophiles who are running wild on an international scale?
When I was young, I would never have thought that, one day, someone could provoke a real fight between some young people, capture it on a cellphone, post it on the Internet and then brag about having done so. Perhaps you may say that these are strong words, but I think that the advent of all these technologies has made our society sick and deranged.
We could start by focusing on what broadcasters are showing to our young people, by making sure that the regulations are observed and that they are clear, not just for legislators, but for the public in general.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Thank you for that. This round has gone very quickly.
I thank you very much for your testimony here today and for coming before the committee. It's quite an amazing day when we have one of our oldest witnesses before our committee on the same day we have probably some of our youngest witnesses.
Again, thank you very much, sir, for your presentation.
Right now we are going to take a short recess.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
I'm going to call on everyone to please take your seats if you can.
I'd like to welcome our young witnesses. You don't have to be nervous today. I'm a grandpa, so you don't have to worry about me. I have grandchildren not quite as old as some of the oldest here, but as old as some of the younger.
I would like to welcome all the young witnesses who have joined us today. I will start our session by sharing a few things with you to help inform our discussion.
As you may already know, the committee has been looking at Bill C-327, which proposes new regulations to limit the amount of violent content available on television.
We are here today to learn from you, since you know best what you like to watch and why. Many of our meetings so far have focused on young people and the extent to which television programming made for young people needs to have greater oversight. We have also heard that youth are watching more and more violent content on the Internet, on websites such as YouTube. Because of this, it has been suggested that it is more important that young people learn for themselves how to make good choices about what they watch rather than having us attempt to determine the choices for you.
We have invited you here today because we want to learn directly from you about your experiences and your understanding of the programming that you like to watch. We would like to hear what you think about the need for rules to protect you from unsuitable content, particularly that which contains violence. We would also like to hear from you about the people who have helped you to make choices about the programs you watch.
Our hope today is for a productive and informative conversation among us all.
Thank you very much for coming today.
One thing I'd just like to let you know is that at 5:15 we are going to have bells because there's a vote at 5:30, but don't let the bells bother you; we'll carry on. We hope to carry on very close to 5:30 because we only have to go down the hall, and we want to make the most of your presence here with us today.
One thing I am going to ask is that as we go around with our questions, I would ask the witnesses--you young people here today--to put your hand up, just like in school, if you have an answer, and I'll try to get to you. Try to keep your answers as short as you can. I'm going to ask the people around the table to keep the questions as concise as we can.
First of all, I'll ask you to introduce yourselves. Just say who you are and your age if you could, please.
4:25 p.m.
Noémie Fiset-Tremblay As an Individual
My name is Noémie Fiset-Tremblay and I am 13 years old.