Evidence of meeting #47 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 cbc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Welcome to the 47th meeting of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage being held on Monday, March 21, 2011.
In accordance with Standing Order 108(2), we are studying the mandate and funding of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation today.
We have with us Jean-Claude Carrière, who represents the Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario, Temiskaming Region.
Welcome.
We'll begin with an opening statement.
Go ahead, Mr. Rodriguez.
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
The chair is going to propose a slightly modified schedule. We'll have 45 minutes for our first witness and 45 minutes for our second witness.
I've just received notice from Madame Lavallée that she's going to move a motion concerning our study of the mandate and funding of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. So we'll set aside 15 minutes, from 5 o'clock to 5:15, for the consideration of Madame Lavallée's motion. After that, from 5:15 to 5:30, we're going to move to the consideration of Mr. Angus' motion concerning Sports Canada.
3:30 p.m.
Liberal
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
3:30 p.m.
Jean-Claude Carrière Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario, Temiskaming Region, would like to thank the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for accepting our brief regarding CBC/Radio-Canada's mandate and funding.
The ACFO Temiskaming Region represents the 7,345 Francophones and many Francophiles in southern Temiskaming, in Northern Ontario.
The ACFO Temiskaming Region is a non-profit organization that encourages and promotes the development and vitality of Franco-Ontarians in Temiskaming in social, cultural, religious, and educational spheres
Let's talk about the CBC/Radio-Canada's Role in Ensuring the Survival of Francophone Communities. For Francophones in Temiskaming, CBC/Radio-Canada plays an essential role in guaranteeing our survival.
As the public broadcaster, it shares information about what is going on in other minority communities in Ontario and across the country.
It also broadcasts information about what is going on in Quebec. Without CBC/Radio-Canada, it would be impossible for Francophone communities in Canada to showcase their culture, diversity, dynamism and socio-economic development, as there would be nothing drawing these communities together.
CBC/Radio-Canada must be given enough funding to accomplish its role as a Canadian Crown corporation. We have an opportunity to identify as Canadians through access to media.
In the Ontarian Temiskaming region, there are no established Francophone radio stations or newspapers. Over the years, three different newspapers have been launched by ACFO-Temiskaming, but all of them have gone under because there is not a large enough population base to sustain a French-language newspaper.
Therefore, if we want to read news in French, our only option is the French-language newspaper called Le Reflet témiscamien, based in the Quebec Témiscamingue region. While this newspaper occasionally covers events that occur on the Ontario side, it understandably focuses on events and issues that affect its target audience, that is, Quebeckers in the Témiscamingue region.
Our region receives radio signals from the Quebec Ville-Marie station CKVM, an independent station that caters to its target audience, that is, local Quebeckers.
We also receive CBC/Radio-Canada's CBON station, which is based in Sudbury and covers all of Northern Ontario. While its mandate is to serve us, reception is very poor in certain areas of Temiskaming, which causes many Francophones to turn to the Quebec CKVM station or to English-language radio stations for their news.
One of the reasons that CBON reception is so poor is CBC/Radio-Canada's lack of funding. How can we create a sense of belonging among Francophones when we are beyond the reach of our media?
It is important for us to have access to CBC/Radio-Canada radio and television stations so that we can receive the news in our own language.
If CBON does not receive adequate funding, Temiskaming runs the risk of having even poorer French-language media coverage of local events.
Our only other alternative for local news is the English-language radio station CJIT, which is based in New Liskeard.
The same can be said of local television. If CBC/Radio-Canada received more funding, we could have a local journalist that would tell us about local activities in our own language.
Francophone and Anglophone media do not report on the same aspects of a situation or the same realities. Therefore, it is essential that we have access to media services that understand our issues, our challenges and our aspirations.
Franco-Ontarians are fiercely proud of their Francophone culture and language and they are fighting to protect them.
It is important that we have access to adequate and professional French-language news. This creates a sense of belonging and unites us with the larger Francophone family across the country.
CBC/Radio-Canada can be the one to spark this pride and ensure our vitality. We, as Francophones, represent one of the founding peoples of Canada, but we are living in a minority situation. If Franco-Ontarians do not have a model or something to rally around, it becomes nearly impossible to ensure our survival.
The Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario (ACFO), Temiskaming Region believes that CBC/Radio-Canada is an essential service for minority Francophone communities in Canada.
The government must provide adequate funding in order to ensure the long-term survival and financial security of the national public broadcaster.
It is wrong to believe that we can drain more and more funding from CBC/Radio-Canada and think that some other broadcaster will be able to unite Francophones established across our beautiful country.
Thank you.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Thank you, Mr. Carrière.
We have 40 minutes for questions and comments.
We will start with Mr. Rodriguez.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, Mr. Carrière. It's a pleasure to see you.
You know that you have touched on something that is enormously important to me. I was the chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I was my party's critic on these issues, and deputy chair of the committee. This subject is particularly close to my heart. Like you, I think that the CBC has an important role to play when it comes to linguistic duality and promoting linguistic duality.
How is the francophone community doing in your part of the country?
3:35 p.m.
Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
The francophone community is doing exceedingly well.
That being said, I would like to mention that Temiskaming has been receiving Radio-Canada television only since November 2010. Because we are located in a low-lying area, Radio-Canada Ontario airwaves have never reached us. They came from Quebec, from Rouyn-Noranda. The ACFO Temiskaming fought for a long time to finally get access to Radio-Canada radio and television.
We got radio in 1995. I don't want to go into the details, but we had identified a place to put the receiver. Because the resources weren't available, the receiver was located farther away. When we finally got Radio-Canada radio, there were complaints because people driving in their cars lost the signal and things like that.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
3:35 p.m.
Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
In the beginning we received the news from Rouyn-Noranda.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
3:35 p.m.
Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
It came from the Radio-Canada station in Rouyn-Noranda. We received the news from Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Since November, have you been receiving somewhat more regional news?
3:35 p.m.
Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
On television, we receive the news from Ontario, from Radio-Canada Toronto.
I will tell you why. A cable company in Sudbury, which has finally installed cable where we are, has bought it. Since then we have finally had Radio-Canada Ontario.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Do you get genuinely local news? Does Radio-Canada have someone in your region?
3:35 p.m.
Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
Unfortunately, we had someone for about a year and a half. Because the budget wasn't big enough, he was transferred somewhere else. So we have no one at present.
3:35 p.m.
Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
I would say in 2003 or 2004.
3:35 p.m.
Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
There isn't anyone.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Does the Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario have contact with Radio-Canada to discuss its mandate or role?
3:35 p.m.
Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
We have good contact with CBON Radio. We have very good contact because I worked very hard to try to get Radio-Canada in the 1990s. The connection is now firmly established. I don't have any problems with radio.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Do you know whether there have been more institutional meetings between Radio-Canada management and leaders in the Canadian francophone communities, in particular in Ontario? I could also ask Radio-Canada that question.
3:35 p.m.
Community Project Officer, Association canadienne française de l'Ontario - Région Témiskaming
There have been on occasion. Last fall, we met with the manager of CBON and one of their journalists to discuss the issues. It happens on occasion: either we telephone the management, or they do it, as happened last year.