Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for attending here today, on a matter of significant importance to the Punjabi, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Italian speaking Canadians of whom we have about 1.8 million.
Since the cancellation of OMNI's Italian-language newscast, many of my constituents and many in the Italian Canadian community in Ontario have contacted me to express their concern about this particular decision that you have taken. For Italian Canadians in Ontario, it was a much more personal transgression, as OMNI, then-CFMT, was founded by a prominent Italian Canadian, Dan Iannuzzi. Indeed, I would like to share some of those comments.
One person noted:
It is time to take Rogers Communications to task. They have grown and prospered on the backs of Immigrants who were new to Canada and subscribed to their services.... Italo-Canadians accepted every aspect of their changing organization and contributed to the growth and prosperity of the Rogers of today.... Ted Rogers must be rolling in his grave!
Another noted, “...my parents and inlaws...like being able to keep up to date with what goes on... and are very saddened at the loss of” OMNI News Italian edition.
I can go on with a number of others. Recently, you, Ms. Watson, a senior executive at Rogers, had a very flippant response to concerns that I had raised publicly on behalf of my constituents about the cancellation of the local ethnic newscasts, indeed here. If I don't have your quote, you can correct me, but you spoke to the Globe and Mail and the quote is, as reported, “This is a private sector business. Does Julian Fantino go to Wal-Mart and say, You need to have more stuff in a certain language?” That's pretty bizarre. It's an insult really for someone at Rogers to make. As well, as we all know, unlike Wal-Mart, Rogers has obligations stemming from its CRTC-issued licence to broadcast on public airwaves.
Further, I want to read from a transcript from a CRTC hearing from April 2014 on the renewal of OMNI's licence. Specifically, I want to read the testimony of Madeline Ziniak, the former national vice-president of OMNI Television. She said:
During its proud history of broadcasting, OMNI has played a critical role in developing ethnic programming in Canada and serving ethnocultural audiences.... We are an important partner to many different ethnocultural communities through the provision of local news programming and participation in events, festivals. ...we know that this was a very meaningful and important vehicle for communities....
But here we are, a little over a year later, and Rogers has cancelled Italian, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Punjabi newscasts. In Ms. Ziniak's testimony for the OMNI licence renewal, she waxed eloquently on local news programming and its importance to OMNI. Why didn't Rogers reveal its plans to cancel all news programming within the very near future? Doesn't it seem a little odd that Rogers would omit mentioning that very fact? Especially, I note, from the CRTC July 2014 broadcasting decision, there is a clear expectation for licensees to provide at the time of licensing and licence renewal specific plans as to how the station will reflect local issues and concerns during the terms of their licences.
I fully appreciate that Rogers and OMNI are in the business per se. I more reflect on what was said to a licensing body that, within a very short time thereafter, seems to have become a flip-flop. Why the apparent misrepresentation, and why did we not hold true to what was stated to the CRTC?
Mr. Chair, I can wait for the answer.