Good afternoon, Chair.
I am pleased to be here once again. I believe we are becoming friends. Chair, we have had the opportunity to meet and discuss this matter on a few occasions.
My presentation is extremely important to local communities. You are aware that the concentration of media reduces the opportunities for our voices to be heard in the national and even the supra-regional media. There are very few local media remaining to convey our message. It is in part for that reason that we are here today. We want to determine if it is possible to improve the situation of the local media.
The francophone community outside Quebec, including francophones in the North, is experiencing even greater difficulties because of major cuts to the CBC, our local television and radio broadcaster. Significant cuts have also been made to Timmins' French-language newspaper, Les Nouvelles, which has now become an insert in the English-language newspaper. The ability to speak to our community about our needs is being increasingly curtailed. It is extremely important for the federal government to develop a policy that will enable local media to continue to do their job.
We feel there are two recommendations of interest. The federal government should adopt a policy whereby it spends 50% of its total advertising budget on advertising in local media that directly serve communities.
For rural communities throughout Canada, the CBC is their only contact with other communities. It is often the only network in the regions. We believe that the government should also adopt a policy for the CBC that addresses two elements. First, the CBC should focus more on local communities and less on the three major centres—Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Second, we believe that base funding for the CBC should be increased to $50 per voter or per capita. In some parts of Europe per capita funding ranges from $134 to $150.
Rather than giving a lengthy presentation, I prefer to answer your questions. I think we can have a better discussion that way. Once again, thank you for inviting a local francophone association. For us, the media—particularly the local media—are a very important means of conveying our message. We must have a voice.
Mr. Chair, my colleague from Kirkland Lake will continue with the presentation.