Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, good afternoon.
First of all, we would like to thank you for your invitation to appear today.
We are here today as members of Le groupe de diffuseurs indépendants, le GDI, an association of independent Canadian broadcasters.
Let me introduce you to the member representatives who are here today.
My name is Suzanne Gouin and I am the President of TV5 Québec Canada.
I'm joined by Martha Fusca, president of Stornoway Communications. From ZoomerMedia television, I'm joined by Bill Roberts, president, and Monique Lafontaine, the vice-president of regulatory affairs. As well, I'm joined by IBG's legal counsel, Joel Fortune.
For efficiency's sake, we have joined forces and combined our presentation, although Stornoway is a separate company.
We would like to begin by saying a few words about independent broadcasting, and then move on to the substantive question you are examining.
Canada has a rich linguistic and cultural heritage, and that heritage is reflected by independent broadcasters, including IBG's members. Members of the Independent Broadcasters Group offer programming for Canadians from all conceivable backgrounds, in English, French, Aboriginal and many other languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, Hindi and Punjabi, to name only a few, and for every age group and interest.
Independent broadcasters often have the mandate to provide programming that isn't found on mainstream commercial services. Independents provide content and editorial diversity and contribute directly to the free expression that we expect to find in their media and that makes our democracy function.
We also create and support jobs in the cultural industries in every region of Canada and, as small and medium enterprises, spur innovation—what Mr. von Fickenstein was referring to earlier—and growth in the economy.
Before going any further, let me explain what we mean by “independent” broadcasters. An “independent” broadcaster is a broadcaster that is not owned by a corporate group that also owns a cable, satellite or telephone network. Why is this distinction important? It is important because the cable, satellite and telephone companies are the gatekeepers to Canada's broadband networks that all broadcasters need to access in order to reach Canadian audiences.
Subject to only a few rules set by the CRTC, these carriers decide what channels Canadians get to watch on television and new media screens. Just as importantly, these carriers largely control the marketing of programming services—for example, how they are packaged, the retail price, channel placement and how aggressively they are marketed. Last, even while they have all this power, these carriers compete directly with independent broadcasters for viewers and programming, since they also operate a large number of their own TV services.
So, ownership of the distribution networks is critically important. If you own one of the large distribution networks, then the services you own get access, and they are marketed so that they reach a large number of Canadians and prosper. If you don't own the networks, if you are an independent broadcaster, then you are in a much different position.