Canadian Heritage Committee on March 25th, 2009

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I want to thank Ms. Lavallée for giving me her speaking time, five minutes.

In spite of everything that is happening today, I would like to talk about what I think is an important matter, MétéoMédia and The Weather Network. Soon you'll have to study the situation of MétéoMédia and determine whether it will be removed from basic cable service and be included with the specialty channels that citizens will have to pay for to access. Most Canadians currently have access to MétéoMédia, whether it's to see road conditions or the weather, quite simply.

Now that people are completely used to consulting MétéoMédia, authorities want to remove it from the basic cable service, as though it had become superfluous. People will be forced to pay for access, which will constitute a significant limit for the public. I can tell you that the impact will be terribly negative for local and rural communities. I expect your answer to be that you will be studying this matter soon. Your office has received the document, the complaint that I sent it. In that document, I asked that MétéoMédia not be removed from basic cable service. You will probably say that you can't discuss it very much. If that's the case, I ask you to seriously consider my document and to see that that measure is not implemented so that Canadians can continue to have access to important information as part of their everyday lives.

[Konrad W. Von Finckenstein]

You are no doubt aware that a hearing involving MétéoMédia will be held at the end of the month. We know that MétéoMédia is very popular among Canadians, that they really love and support it.

Michel, I believe you're the expert on that matter.

[Michel Arpin]

I think that, in asking your question, you've given the answer. I'm really compelled to tell you that our duty of restraint requires us not to make any comments on that subject. We will nevertheless be very pleased to hear you at the hearing on this question at the end of March.

MétéoMédia and The Weather Network have given the Canadian public good service to date. It is up to them to show that those services are necessary. Others claim that they can do better for less. So we'll be hearing all those who want to be heard. The commission will then deliberate before rendering its decision. That's all I can tell you for the moment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

Again, I hope your responses have answered some questions of our members around the table.

Ms. Lavallée has one last....

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

I wanted to let you thank our guests, but I had a point I wanted to raise right away.

As we are studying the evolution of the television industry, I think it's important that every one of our meetings be public and televised. I think it would be paradoxical for us to conduct this kind of study and hear from witnesses without it being televised. I know that broadcasters make this request to you on a piecemeal basis, but I would like to ask you—and I'm prepared to introduce a motion to that effect—that this entire study be televised, unless the committee objects to that.

Do you want me to introduce a motion and for us to put it to a vote?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

I don't think you have to move a motion. If the request is made, our clerk will look into that to make sure we have the available facility to do that. I would think that, especially when you're looking into the television industry, it's something that should be televised at least. I'm quite sure we don't have to pass a motion. We'll make sure our clerk looks into that so we can make it happen.

Again, thank you. Thanks for the question.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

The meeting is adjourned.