Thank you.
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.
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.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to welcome you all here, as I did at the very beginning, but I have to say that this meeting has taken a turn for the worse. I feel it is incumbent upon me to correct some things that have been stated here today, because they just tear at my core.
There has never been a situation in the House of Commons, since I arrived, where any person in any party has ever clapped at the thought that CBC might fail. So I want that to be put on the record to show that it has never happened.
4:50 p.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
On a point of order, that is not correct. I think she should strike it. We could go all the way up to the minister as to who was heckling at CBC. We've all seen it.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to make sure everyone here understands that my time needs to be extended a little.
I do also want to make a comment to all of the witnesses, because I hate to see you misled. I was a police officer for 19 years. This type of thing should not go on with the leaders of our country. But I want to clarify that the strategic review was put in place several years ago. CBC was well aware of it several years ago. It's unfortunate that someone in the media has picked this timing to bring it out as if it's something new, as if we're kicking them when they're down, as someone said. It is not true, and I want to put that on the record.
I want to turn to some important facts that relate to our study, if we can get back to that.
Mr. Morrison, on the third page of your dissertation you commented on over-the-air viewers being concerned about not being able to afford cable and satellite charges. You went into some explanation about the United States. Are you aware that Bell TV was here last week proposing a very complementary solution to this?
4:50 p.m.
Spokesperson, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
Are you referring to what they call FreeSat?
May 11th, 2009 / 4:50 p.m.
Spokesperson, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
The CRTC asked me to comment on that just five days ago. I've sent them a four-page letter and I'll be happy to send it to you.
I'll make a few points. It's not free. It would cost, in our judgment, something in the order of $500 up front to get access to it. Their business model.... By the way, I'm not criticizing FreeSat. I'm just putting a few things on the table.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Mr. Morrison, I hate to interrupt you, but if you have a four-page document, I'd gladly read that. I have only two minutes left and I really want to get to On Screen before--
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Yes, thank you very much. But I would like to see your four-page answer.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Thank you.
On Screen Manitoba, thank you for being here. I know how important your work is to television and to our community in particular.
You mentioned the LPIF, and I want to know how much you think you would need out of that fund for it to be effective for your organization.
4:50 p.m.
Chairperson, On Screen Manitoba Inc.
It's difficult for us to discuss a fund that doesn't exist yet and when we're not sure how it would be stated or how it would be structured. They are talking about 1% of the BDUs' revenue, or $60 million. We can't specifically say how much of that should be spent where, but our concern is that it be directed to local programming. It doesn't cost a lot of money to make a lot of difference in local programming when basically you don't have any.
We are also strongly suggesting that some of that money go to independent producers to produce local programming, because we provide the different voices. Again, not to harp on consolidation, but there aren't a lot of different opinions within the owner groups of the broadcasters these days. Two of our main broadcasters also own newspapers, so we feel it would serve the country and the production community, and the broadcasters, to diversify.
Documentary production is significantly less expensive than drama. For instance, the figures I quoted were for drama production. We would hope that the 1% would hold, if not go higher, and we would hope that it would go directly to local programming and that about 25% of it would be earmarked for independently produced local programming.
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, On Screen Manitoba Inc.
And that it be based on the benchmark already created within the system for priority programming.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
I do know that you have some collaboration with Les Productions Rivard, which benefits our francophone communities. Would you want the LPIF to also take that into consideration?
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, On Screen Manitoba Inc.
Absolutely. Having diversity within the fund makes a lot of sense. We also have members who are aboriginal creators. We'd like to see that be a target as well.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Thank you very much.
I'll say to our witnesses that you are all very important to this hearing. Thank you for your presentations.
I will recess now to regenerate our witnesses. We will reconvene in exactly five minutes.
5 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
We're going to reconvene for the second half of our meeting today, as meeting 20 of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are continuing our study on the evolution of the television industry in Canada and its impact on local communities.
I'm going to reverse our order: I want to have the National Film Board of Canada make their presentation first. So I'm just going to go backwards up the list.
Again, we try to keep our presentations to 10 minutes. I know we have a lot of witnesses. If we can stay at 10 minutes each, then we will do at least one round of questioning, and maybe then we can have a short time in the second round. We do have to be done by 6:30.
I will start off with the National Film Board of Canada, please.
