Evidence of meeting #35 for Canadian Heritage in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was crtc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:05 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Thank you very much.
Ms. Parker, I believe it was you earlier who addressed the topic of viewing time on English-language television in Canada. I didn't understand whether you were talking about online television or conventional television. Were you talking about online television? It seems to me you said that Canadians watched 26 hours of television a week.
Do you have any statistics on francophones?
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Writers Guild of Canada
Yes, we do have, actually. It think this is footnoted in our presentation. We notice that there is a slight change. I believe it's 11.8 hours of online viewing, only 1.3 hours of which is devoted to television, and we believe that's because there may be less French content offered online. We don't absolutely know the facts or the rationale behind the lower figure, but we believe it's because there is less French content online.
5:10 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
You say that the total is 26 hours a week for anglophones and 11.8 hours for francophones. Is that correct?
5:10 p.m.
Executive Director, Writers Guild of Canada
That's online, so it would include YouTube or your banking, etc.
I don't know what the weekly figure is for television.
Kelly Lynne, do we know what it is for television?
5:10 p.m.
Director, Policy, Writers Guild of Canada
It's the same. The 26 is the same; it's for all of Canada.
5:10 p.m.
Executive Director, Writers Guild of Canada
So it's the same, but it drops in terms of actual television viewing online.
5:10 p.m.
Director, Policy, Writers Guild of Canada
May I just clarify?
The commission—
5:10 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
If you have any statistics, would it be possible to submit them to the chairman?
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Yes.
All Canadians watch 26 hours of television a week. Anglophones use the Internet 14.5 hours a week and francophones 11.8 hours a week.
On the Internet, anglophones spend 2 hours a week watching television online and francophones 1.3 hours a week.
5:10 p.m.
Bloc
5:10 p.m.
Some voices
Oh, oh!
5:10 p.m.
Executive Director, Writers Guild of Canada
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I'm going to make sure to direct all my questions to you.
5:10 p.m.
A voice
I hope you didn't include that in your speaking time.
5:10 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
I wouldn't hold it against him because it's good to hear him speak French. I'm ready to invest my time so that our chairman speaks more French.
5:10 p.m.
A voice
He did that well.
5:10 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Indeed.
So, back to business.
You're a big group of witnesses, and you said a lot of things. I tried to sum them up, to pick out the most interesting things, because we clearly have to orient ourselves toward solutions.
One of you said that the functions of the business should be shared out. I found that interesting because that was the first time, to my knowledge, that we've heard that kind of suggestion.
A second person said that the Internet should be regulated, and, after the Liberals' response, you all seemed to say that was true.
I ask you this question: would merging the broadcasting and telecommunications acts enable the CRTC to regulate the Internet? Would there be other ways of regulating the Internet? I want to hear you say it.
I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but that's good because you'll be able to select one.
The question of the Canada Media Fund is a real problem. Money that was reserved for audio-visual production by general interest broadcasters has been taken and shared with the digital field without any more money being added. You're entirely right. However, are there any other ways to add money to the Canada Media Fund?
Lastly, as the telecommunications union suggested, do we have to wait for a research institute to conduct a major study on the subject, or is it possible to do certain things before that?
My questions are in utter disorder.
Go ahead, Mr. Murdoch.
5:10 p.m.
Vice-President, Media, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada
We're certainly in favour of merging those two acts. We think it just makes sense. I know there are some honourable members here who agree with that. We think it makes sense.
If you are prepared to do it, then Parliament itself will study the issue. It needs more data, but in the body of the act will come, we would hope, some regulation of the Internet and, as others have suggested—and we agree with them—some method of bringing some of the financial resources from the Internet to bear on Canadian content.
Yes, we think the time has come. It's probable that the time is past, but it's still before us to have a telecommunications or a communications act that combines both broadcasting and the telcos, and the sooner the better.
But we need to get some more information when we do that.
5:10 p.m.
Executive Director, Writers Guild of Canada
May I jump in with an alternate suggestion?
It may be simpler right now to just ensure that the government legislate that the CRTC has jurisdiction over new media broadcasting. That seems to be a rather immediate and pressing problem, and we need the government to weigh in on it.
It would be helpful if this committee would consider making a recommendation to government to clarify that the CRTC has jurisdiction over new media broadcasting.
5:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Media, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada
The last two times I have had the opportunity to appear here—I want to just congratulate you—the reports that have come out of this committee have been very beneficial, with some excellent recommendations, including the one on the LPIF, the local programming improvement fund. So you do have weight, and we would encourage you to look at this.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
5:15 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Pardon me, but I was waiting for the translation.
Yes I have another question, but I'm sure it won't take long. Whatever the case may be, thank you for the chance to ask it.
Can we consider other revenue sources? Because cash flow is currently being diverted. Things are being offered on the Internet for which people are paying more. After watching a television series on the Internet, such as Flashpoint, for example, people receive a bill for $47 from their cable company—that's Videotron at my home. I swear this has already happened, in particular to my assistant, who lives in Saint-Hubert. He watched the series Les Invincibles, and that cost him $47. He paid the cable company that amount, whereas, if he had bought the series at HMV, for example, it would have cost him exactly the same price, but the money would have gone to the producer, not to the cable company.
Shouldn't we require the cable providers or the BDUs, whichever they are, to pay any surplus money made from the use of content such as that into a kind of cultural production fund?
5:15 p.m.
Executive Director, Writers Guild of Canada
And it's called the CMF, CMF, CMF.
5:15 p.m.
Bloc