Evidence of meeting #20 for Canadian Heritage in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cbc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
6:30 p.m.
President, CBC Branch, Canadian Media Guild
Compared to 1995, the deficit is $350 million or $360 million.
6:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
We have that in our literature here, so that's fine.
Mr. Bruinooge, you have the last question, please.
6:30 p.m.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I appreciate the testimony from all the witnesses today.
I'm going to perhaps follow up on some of the testimony that was delivered a little earlier in relation to Madam Lavallée's line of questioning.
Madam Lareau, as far as I remember from the testimony you delivered in response to Madam Lavallée's question of whether your membership had the sense that the current Conservative government had it in for the CBC, you indicated in the positive, as did Madam Larouche as well.
In relation to that--my question is for you and for other members of the panel--does your organization have a mandate to express a partisan sentiment on topics such as that, and do you take official positions? I don't really know. I'm not sure of the mandate of your organization. Perhaps you do take official party positions relative to public policy items. And if that's the case, so be it. I guess you would be fulfilling your mandate. But in the event that you don't, do you see that comment as being outside of your mandate in relation to communicating in the public on these matters?
6:30 p.m.
National President, Canadian Media Guild
I'm not too sure who you're speaking to. I will start by saying that my union has a policy of advocating for issues within the media--media worker issues, for lack of a better word. They are issues that affect this industry. We do advocate for those things.
Marc, would you like to comment?
6:30 p.m.
President, CBC Branch, Canadian Media Guild
I didn't know if you were addressing me. I know that there's Lareau, Laurin, and Larouche here. From across the room, I wasn't sure if you were talking to me, Mr. Bruinooge.
Again, I was asked what my members feel, and my members feel that this government is hostile towards the CBC as a whole. I was asked. I was being honest. I'm giving you an honest answer. To say no would not be serving my membership, because that's not what they're telling me. I was asked an honest question; I'm giving you an honest answer. Is it founded? Is it legitimate? I can't tell you. I can't answer that question right now. We find ourselves very often here in the heritage committee asking the same thing.
6:30 p.m.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
How did you come to that conclusion? Did you survey your members, or is this anecdotal information you're presenting?
6:30 p.m.
President, CBC Branch, Canadian Media Guild
I'm sorry, I missed that question.
6:30 p.m.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
How did you survey your members to come to that conclusion you've made, or is it anecdotal?
6:30 p.m.
President, CBC Branch, Canadian Media Guild
After the last round of bargaining, which we just completed.... You know, we meet our membership on a regular basis, and they call us at the office. They e-mail us. It's a difficult question for us.
6:30 p.m.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
How many of your members have indicated that they feel that the current government is hostile?
6:30 p.m.
President, CBC Branch, Canadian Media Guild
I don't think that's the issue. I don't think we're going to get anywhere with that.
6:30 p.m.
President, Fédération nationale des communications
The members of our federation have expressed very real concerns. Their reaction to what they are going through is negative, of course, but I want to make it clear that my position is not partisan. If any other government were in power, we would be having the same problems, the same issues. We did in the past, and we probably will in the future, but it has nothing to do with partisanship. It would be a mistake to think that. Our position is in response to a very serious situation.
6:35 p.m.
Conservative
6:35 p.m.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
I'm sorry, Madame Larouche, could I have a follow-up question to your statement?
How did you receive an indication from your membership? Was there a survey? Could you give us a plurality statement in relation to your membership as to the position you've put forward? Or is it just anecdotal information that you believe your membership suggests?
6:35 p.m.
President, Fédération nationale des communications
These are not anecdotes. We just had a convention. Our members talked about the current situation. They said it was disastrous and did not bode well for the future of CBC/Radio-Canada. That is what is going on now.
6:35 p.m.
President, Fédération nationale des communications
They have not taken a political position. They have taken a position in response to what they are experiencing right now, in response to the threat to CBC/Radio-Canada.
6:35 p.m.
Conservative
Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB
I'm sorry, if I could just stop you for a moment, was there a vote at your convention on the topic of whether the current Conservative government had it in for the CBC? Was that a ballot item at your convention?
6:35 p.m.
President, Fédération nationale des communications
I repeat, this is not a partisan position. We are not taking issue with the Conservative Party. We are taking issue with the government's decisions. Let us stop this.
6:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Mr. Bruinooge, please, Mr. Levasseur would like to answer. I'm going to take his answer, and then I'm going to have a final statement, because I have something for the National Film Board.
Mr. Levasseur, go ahead, sir.
6:35 p.m.
President, Syndicat des communications de Radio-Canada
Thank you, Mr. Schellenberger.
I just want to make a comment: I believe I am appearing before a Canadian parliamentary committee. I see members of all parties around this table. I read the reports submitted by the committee in 2008 and 2003, and the purpose of my presentation, my organization's presentation, was to encourage you to implement your own decisions. At the time, every one of you here, on behalf of your respective parties, said that you were in favour of multi-year, stable, indexed funding for CBC/Radio-Canada. That is what you wrote in 2008. So my question to you now is: what are you waiting for? When will you do what you promised to do?
That is what I have to say, and that is what my committee and my union's members have asked me to tell you.
6:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Thank you.
We are out of time. I'm going to thank all the witnesses for being here today.
I have one statement. It's primarily a statement for the National Film Board.
For 70 years the National Film Board has been there. I am very concerned about local broadcasting and about Canadians knowing about Canada. Back when I went to school--which wasn't 70 years ago, but a lot closer than for a lot of people in this room to that time--we learned a lot about Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, and Magellan. In our school system, we didn't learn much about Canada. It was through the National Film Board that once a week, or once a month, we'd get that old reel. The principal would come with three reels of film, and we would have an hour or an hour and a half of viewing from the National Film Board, whether about polar bears, about seals, or about Inuit communities.
I've learned a lot through the National Film Board. Anything that I have learned, I would hope the National Film Board could take a little credit for.
I thank everyone for being here today.
