Distinguished members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, thank you for inviting the Quebec Musicians’ Guild to appear before you today. My name is Luc Fortin. I am a professional musician and have been the President of the Guild’s Board of Directors since March 2006.
The Quebec Musicians’ Guild, the GMMQ, is an association representing over 3,000 professional musicians. Its primary purpose is to defend and promote the economic, social, ethical and professional interests of the musicians it represents and to negotiate working conditions for its members through collective agreements. The GMMQ is recognized under federal and provincial laws on the status of the artist. We are also affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, which has 10,000 members in Canada.
Based on the terms provided to us, we will focus on: the importance of the diversity of voices and federal government assistance for local production.
With regard to the diversity of voices, section 3 of the Broadcasting Act states that:
(i) the programming provided by the Canadian broadcasting system should: (ii) be drawn from local, regional, national and international sources, (iii) include educational and community programs; (iv) provide a reasonable opportunity for the public to be exposed to the expression of differing views on matters of public concern.
As CRTC President Konrad von Finckenstein told the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on March 25, 2009, media concentration threatens the diversity of voices. And I quote:
The inherent risk with having a small number of large companies is that it could lead to a reduction in the diversity of voices in the broadcasting system. A democratic system like our own depends on a range of perspectives in news and information programming.
We would add that a variety of cultural perspectives is equally important. The current trend is the merger of arts production companies with media conglomerates. When a single company controls the medium and the content, this also threatens our diversity. Our national broadcasting policy must support and guarantee access to varied cultural sources that reflect the diversity of our national culture.
To quote Mr. von Finckenstein again:
[...] television stations serving a population of less than one million are having a hard time maintaining the quality and quantity of their local programming. What's more, Canadians told us in no uncertain terms how much they valued their local television news.
Local television production is an important tool in promoting a diversity of voices and cultural diversity. It nurtures a feeling of community belonging; it promotes the local cultural and social life and the arts in general; it strengthens the belief that the arts are an important part of our lives; it helps keep local artists from leaving for big cities; and it allows touring artists to forge stronger ties with the community.
A vibrant social and cultural life in local communities is extremely valuable. It gives all members of the community the opportunity to grow and enjoy life to the fullest.
Now let’s talk about Government of Canada assistance for local television. The Local Programming Improvement Fund could support initiatives to save local television stations. It should also encourage broadcasters that have always been committed to local television, such as the CBC/Radio-Canada.
CBC/Radio-Canada has historically played an important role in broadcasting diverse local content, both culturally and in terms of information. Unfortunately, the public broadcaster will not receive the 37% funding earmarked for it under the future Media Fund.
Yet the CBC/Radio-Canada, as our national public broadcaster, has the mandate pursuant to the Broadcasting Act to offer programming that "reflect(s) Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions" and "actively contributes to the flow and exchange of cultural expression."
It becomes very difficult to fulfill this mandate if the CBC/Radio-Canada must also have the best ratings in public television while stable funding is withdrawn. Local television, which could also be broadcast over the Internet, even exclusively, must not only provide local and regional information but also showcase local artists and inform the public about cultural life in their region.
The production of musical content must be encouraged that exposes artists to regional markets. The Local Programming Improvement Fund must therefore also encourage the dissemination of culture locally. Greater support is needed for musical programming on the major television networks.
More opportunities for our artists on the major networks would benefit the same artists who have been supported locally; conversely, a strong regional culture provides a talent pool that benefits everyone. Broadcasting policies must be developed today in a broader context, with each component playing a role in a balanced ecosystem. Local broadcasting is part of it, as are the major networks, specialty channels, independent production (on the Web and on traditional television), artists and cultural workers, cable distributors and the major networks. All these elements make up the television environment to which the public has access and they help describe our overall cultural environment. Local television must be part of this world, a link in our cultural ecosystem.
Current policies are contradictory: there is a lack of consistency with the objectives of the Broadcasting Act, and a lack of consistency within the policies. Let me give you a few examples.
Since the diversity of voices is important, the new Canada Media Fund should help create content that reflects Canada’s cultural diversity and not merely that is profitable or generates high ratings. Programming with high ratings does not need public funding to the same extent because it generates the highest advertising revenues.
The new Canada Media Fund appears to contradict the spirit of the act, which calls for the Canadian broadcasting system to "include a significant contribution from the Canadian independent production sector." This sector will not be represented in the decision process for awarding funding. The new board of directors will consist of two members appointed by Canadian Heritage and five members appointed by broadcasting distribution undertakings.
Although the CRTC set out certain rules to preserve the diversity of voices, the new Canada Media Fund has the opposite structure: large private enterprises will control the fund, essentially taxpayers’ money. Under the Media Fund, producers of web television content will have to work with traditional broadcasters to receive support. There will be no 100% Web productions.
Yet Mr. von Finckenstein, the CRTC President, stated before the Committee: "Conventional television can no longer bear the largest part of the obligations under the Broadcasting Act."
If this is true, why is funding not available for web productions specifically intended for the Internet? Moreover, web productions could round out local programming where traditional television broadcasting is insufficient.
In conclusion, although the Local Programming Improvement Fund is a worthwhile initiative, much greater consistency is needed between government policy and the workings of the broadcasting system in order to give expression to a real diversity of voices, providing Canadians in all regions with information and representative local cultural programming.