Evidence of meeting #7 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 cbcradio-canada.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
The answer is yes. I've personally answered each of the e-mails that have been sent to me and to each, or nearly so, of the letters that I've received. Can I give my impressions of the comments that these people have made about programming? Absolutely not.
Bloc
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
I mainly worked in the field of sports. However, a number of people from the Corporation were kind enough to send me all kinds of nice letters welcoming me. People from a number of sectors and networks also welcomed me, which I very much appreciated.
Conservative
Conservative
Dave Batters Conservative Palliser, SK
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Welcome, Mr. Lacroix. Congratulations on your appointment.
Mr. Lacroix, you don't come into this job with a blank slate. I'm sure you've done your homework. As someone who already has a high degree of knowledge about CBC and Radio-Canada, I'm going to ask you a few questions.
What problem areas, if any, have you already identified in your mind, or what issues have you already identified that you'll be looking into, ready to act on when you assume your new role? As a corollary to that, what management techniques and experience from your past will you draw upon, or think you'll be relying on most, when you take up your new post?
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
Let's go with the question with respect to the challenges before the CBC, and then I'll tell you how I think management techniques, or what I've done before, can help.
A few minutes ago, I think the first question somebody asked me was what risks I saw right now in the environment that Radio-Canada is playing in. I think I'll come back to those, because they are very, very key.
Radio-Canada is facing a consolidation in the industry. Right now five or six consolidated companies, or five or six families, are ruining.... No, not ruining, but ruling.... Sorry. Wow!
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
This could come back and haunt me!
December 6th, 2007 / 11:55 a.m.
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
They are ruling the media and the broadcast industry. That is a fact. They are powerful now and have brands and services that extend way beyond only one aspect of what they do.
We're talking about the principle of convergence here.
I mean, everybody now has picked it up and is doing that, and Radio-Canada is also. But it doesn't have the financial means to fight against these companies on a daily basis, so it has to be very strategic. It has an important mandate in the law. It has to provide wide services to a whole bunch of people across the country on different platforms. That's a challenge. The environment in which it plays also plays to a different public. We talked about that a few minutes ago. That's changing also.
I think those are the key challenges. I'll come back to them, and I'll say those again, because I think they're top of mind to me right now.
With respect to management techniques, I really believe in teams. I'm adding my skills to a very strong team. Robert Rabinovitch did this well. People right now--and pardon my clichés, because I'm a sports person, and yes, I have been affected by sports--are very deep at all positions. It's a very good management team, so I'm not doing this by myself. I'm going to work with this team, and because I've been in teams all my life, and I've been a coach all my life, I think this fits well.
Conservative
Dave Batters Conservative Palliser, SK
That's excellent. I'm going to ask my question another way, and it will be a two-part question, again.
What aspects, specifically, of the CBC and within the CBC do you hope to improve upon as the CEO? Then I'll ask you the flip side. Which of CBC's current strengths do you intend to or do you anticipate building upon in the coming years?
So I want you to focus specifically on the organization. What aspects do you hope to, first of all, improve upon, and then what strengths will you build upon?
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
I don't want to duck the question, sir, but I start on January 2, and I need time. I need to listen. I need to understand the organization, and I will be happy to share with you where I'm going the next time I have the great opportunity of sitting down with you.
Conservative
Dave Batters Conservative Palliser, SK
You've taken on, though, a very important role in this country, and you have significant experience in this industry. I started my comments today by saying that you don't come into this job with a blank slate. You must have some--maybe you're going to say that you don't--preconceived notion of the organization you're going into and what challenges maybe exist within the organization and what strengths you can improve upon.
The pat answer for you, I guess, would be that you're going to wait until you get there, but I'm going to ask you right now, before you go into that job, because that's why we're here today. Otherwise, frankly, we should be having this discussion in January. Right now, based on your thoughts and your experience, what things do you think need improving upon?
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
Mr. Batters, the most important thing I think I don't want to do right now is walk into that organization with preconceived notions, because that would be a very important management mistake. I'm going to listen. I'm going to assess this corporation. I'm coming in with an open mind. I have the opportunity of having no baggage, and my job will be to quickly assess this and to connect my own priorities with the priorities of the company.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Mr. Batters, you're already over time now. Maybe you can split some time in the next round with someone.
Conservative
Liberal
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
I think it's Ms. Fry, actually, who's third on the list.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
Thank you very much. Welcome.
It's not easy to sit here with a whole bunch of people throwing questions at you all the time.
I wanted to focus on a couple of things you actually did say in your presentation. You said that you do not see it as your job to interfere in programming, but to manage and to direct. Obviously you see it as more than simply managing; you see it as directing. In order to direct, therefore, you must have a vision, so I wanted to ask you about that vision.
We heard that the CBC faces some huge challenges. One is infrastructure, and that includes transmitters for CBC radio to have a broader reach into the regions. That ties into the second challenge, which is regionalism. How does the CBC represent the regions effectively? To do that ties into your second point, which was about revenue. These all depend on each other--the ability to be regional, the ability to have that reach, the ability to face the infrastructure problems with regard to digitalization and transmitters, etc. Those all require funds.
You talked about alliances, and alliances always come with a string. No alliance comes along and says, “Here we are, we're just going to do good.” Do you believe that alliances would threaten CBC's autonomy, mandate, etc.? Do you see further commercialization of CBC in order to give it the revenue it needs devaluing or enhancing CBC's mandate? That's a question you have to ask as you seek alliances and as you seek money.
Finally, with regard to regionalization, how do you see regionalization occurring with the current fiscal structure at the moment? You talked about multiculturalism, but you talked about not interfering in programming. How do you see CBC being relevant to the multicultural nature of this country without dealing with the programming aspects of it?
I know there are about three questions I asked you in that.
Thank you.
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
I hope I've got them all down. If I don't, please come back to me.
I've done business transactions all my life. Yes, two people will not work together unless there's something in both parties' wishes to do a deal. I can't see why these transactions cannot benefit CBC/Radio-Canada in the way they are structured, and I can't see why they would attack the autonomy of the public broadcaster. In a situation like this, we're going to take them one at a time and see how they go, but it is something in the backdrop that we have to be concerned about and aware of at all times when we negotiate. There's no issue there.
Let's go to regionalization. I understand it is very important. It's important in what I've read so far.
Remember, I'm only starting January 2. Right now, I'm ramping up and reading a lot about the presentations that have been made in front of you. I understand the importance of regionalization. I understand why the envelopes that were suggested to you--the two envelopes of $25 million--were on the table. I think it's really important to get Canadians to hear and to listen to CBC/Radio-Canada as quickly as possible. It's a priority in the current management team and a priority that I will make mine.
You talked about commercialization and sources of revenue and how I will make sure we have all the dollars we need--
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
Yes, while maintaining the mandate.
Well, it's a question of choices and of priorities. It's something every single business company has on a daily basis, because they don't have limitless funds. Right now, what you're looking at are the choices within the framework of the funding; this is what CBC/Radio-Canada has right now. When I said I'm not going to interfere in programming, I mean programming is among the direct reports that come up to the president and CEO, so obviously I will listen, I will hear, and I will intervene. Remember, I'm one of 32 million Canadians who has something to say about programming.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
There are two components you didn't quite answer. The first one was whether you saw further commercialization as enhancing or in fact devaluing CBC's mandate. The second one was about your vision, because to direct, you have to have a vision.
Designate President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)/Radio-Canada, As an Individual
I have a very strong vision. Maybe I didn't hint at that as strongly as I thought I had at the beginning. Let me give you the vision again. I took this job because I really think that CBC/Radio-Canada plays a role in the lives of Canadians on a daily basis.
It played a role in my life. I told you that these stories about Bobino and Bobinette are how culture starts. These are the experiences I lived as a Canadian, and this is how I became what I am today, 52 years later, from exposure to different things, to music, to books. This is what culture is all about, and CBC/Radio-Canada is the conduit that allows, and the forum that allows, all Canadians to be exposed to this and that enriches the democratic and cultural lives of all Canadians. I believe this. You've heard it from my predecessors in front of this committee. I believe that; it's why I took this job.
That's my vision.
