Evidence of meeting #24 for Canadian Heritage in the 41st Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funding.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
I would like to answer your questions, but you interrupt me every time you ask me one.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
My question is this: do you have any responsibility for the current decisions?
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Thank you.
A recovery occurred after the global recession. Ten per cent cuts were made to all government departments. Ours was the only G7 government that did not make cuts to official languages or direct funding to artists. The other G7 countries made direct cuts to funding for artists, but not our government. We also did not reduce funding for museums or sports programs.
That was done in 2012. Mr. Lacroix informed us that he had enough money to carry out his mandate. He has more than $1 billion. That is a significant amount. CBC/Radio-Canada has suffered declining advertising revenues as a result of the loss of the hockey broadcasts. Its viewership has also fallen. That was obviously not a government decision. It is ridiculous to think any such thing.
We acknowledge the importance of CBC/Radio-Canada. That is why we grant it significant funding. That organization will produce programming in English and in French in the regions and elsewhere.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
The fact remains that the minister's promise has not been kept. You are forcing cuts on the CBC after promising that you would not. You even talked about increasing funding. We do not know why the government changed its mind.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Yes, you did. We are talking about $115 million.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Yes, you did. That goes back to the minister's statement in 2011. This is a $115 million cut. It is on page 36 of the 2013-2014 main estimates. No one can deny it.
Conservative
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
If you wash your hands of what your government did before you, I think that is major news that we should broadcast.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
No, I am sorry, but you say that "I" cut the budget. That is what I am responding to.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
You are connected by ministerial responsibility, minister.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Your government cut that budget by $115 million.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Cuts were made across government in 2012. We were the first to do so during the economic recovery. We have created more than a million jobs in the economy. That is the priority for Canadians right now.
Liberal
Liberal
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Around the world, people view Canada as a country that succeeded following the recovery.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Yes, thank you, but I have only a minute left.
How do you explain that 87% of the Canadian Museum of History's programming for the 150th anniversary of Confederation, 26 out of 30 events, is based on military themes? Only four events have a non-military theme. We were afraid your government might have an ideological influence on that museum, and those fears are being confirmed.
The military aspect should be celebrated, but do you not think that 26 out of 30 events is completely unbalanced, given the richness of Canada's history?
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
As you know, Mr. Dion, the museums are responsible for their own decisions.
I want to raise a point. When the Liberals were in power, they cut more than $400 million from CBC/Radio-Canada's budget. The goal was to reduce the budget by cutting costs. Pardon me, but you have to take action during a global recession. You have to protect Canadians' jobs. We reacted well. We were first around the world—
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
I would simply like to recall that we reinvested money once we were out of the recession, minister.
Conservative
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
The CBC's budgets were on the rise when the Liberals were in power. You, on the other hand, promised not to reduce its budget. You cut it by $115 million despite what you had promised.
Conservative
