Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Lacroix, for adding to this very important study that we're doing here.
My questions come mostly from constituents. We had a number of phone calls and e-mails on this issue in my riding of Edmonton—Sherwood Park, mostly because of the economic situation that's happening right now. It's been quoted in the media that Sylvain Lafrance, the CBC's executive vice-president for French services, racked up more than $80,000 in just one year in expenses such as theatre tickets and hotels, including $6,000 on lunches, and $10,000 at a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser, which prompted a written response from our minister.
Then we come to find out last Wednesday, from a number of Sun Media articles, that again, in just one year, the CBC spent at least $61,000 on nine meetings between January and June. Those expenses include $21,600 for 21 human resources managers and executives to stay at the Château Beauvallon in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, for two days; almost $3,500 for meetings at the Renaissance hotel in Toronto for senior television managers; over $18,000 for a half-day conference at the Casino du Lac-Leamy; just over $6,000 for a luxury retreat in the Laurentians for 22 executives at Manoir Saint-Sauveur; over $1,600 on a dinner meeting; over $3,500 a day at St. Andrew's Valley Golf Club in Toronto; and another $1,500 for meetings at Hotel Le Germain--and this is on top of bonuses for the fiscal year 2007-08, which topped out at almost $964,000 for 12 executives.
You could see why constituents were concerned. I know spokesmen for the CBC say that these spending practices are in line with corporate policy, and they've said that when face-to-face meetings are required, off-site meetings are usually better to avoid disruptions.
Do you think that the spending of close to $150,000 for nine meetings is good corporate policy?