Evidence of meeting #161 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cbc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Gordie Hogg Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Thank you.
Certainly the values you reflect, I think, are Canadian values and wanting to maintain that level of independence.
I was interested when you talked about the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting and your initiatives. Can you tell me a little bit about those initiatives across Canada and the types of things you're doing to reflect the values you've talked about?
Executive Director, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
Sure. We engage in public policy research; for example, this whole issue of the tax loophole in section 19 has surfaced, in large part, due to research that we have financed.
I referenced a recent Nanos poll, for example. We also paid for that.
We gather our supporters together for local non-partisan political actions of the kind I referred to earlier.
Liberal
Gordie Hogg Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Can you talk a little bit about those and where you hold them? Are they right across Canada?
Executive Director, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
They're right across Canada in the areas where we think we have the ability to make a difference. That's a result of a combination of the polling situation and the number of people we can contact in a given place.
Communications Advisor, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
An example is the Vaisakhi Parade in your constituency of South Surrey. We're active in London West as well. The honourable member for London West is at the table. We're active there. We'll be at the Leslieville tree festival on June 15 in the riding of Madam Chair.
These are activities that we engage in to show support for public broadcasting and support for de-fanging FAANG and in the promotion of these kinds of initiatives and values.
Liberal
Gordie Hogg Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC
I'm interested in your comment that you hold these events in areas where you think you'll have an influence. How would you make that determination?
Executive Director, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
It's public opinion polling and voter intention. I think it's something that all of you are very well familiar with. We try to find places where the races are close and where we have a large enough number of families that we think we can make a difference and be heard.
Liberal
Gordie Hogg Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Would that be the majority of ridings across Canada?
Executive Director, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
In the run-up to this election, we'll be active in 23 ridings. We have aspirations to be active in 23.
Communications Advisor, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
There are about 364,000 people who support Friends' work through their financial contributions or their action.
Executive Director, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
I'd also just like to say once more that this is a strictly non-partisan effort. We are trying to show that there is a base of support for these policies and to encourage any and all parties to go after that base of support.
Yes, we have views on the government's policy. We have views on the policies of the opposition, because we are an issue-based organization, but our goal in these things is not to get any one candidate elected or defeated. We will never, ever tell anybody whom they ought to vote for. We will simply put the support for these issues on display and try to help politicians within their own parties to show that we can make the case that supporting these things not just as the right thing to do but also the expedient thing to do.
Liberal
Gordie Hogg Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC
In the targeting of the ridings you made reference to, it's a reflection of those values in areas where you think you're going to have some impact. Is that a fair interpretation?
Liberal
Gordie Hogg Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC
In terms of influence across Canada....
Thank you. That's very helpful.
Liberal
Gordie Hogg Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC
My colleague Anju has made reference to an Air India documentary and that it is biased and harmful to their community as a whole, and they deem it to be unacceptable.
How come the CBC doesn't have money to show positive cultural programming, but this documentary has been seen as negative and discriminatory every October for the last 20 years? Could you make a comment on that in terms of the balance that she is referencing there?
Executive Director, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
Again, I can't speak to the editorial decisions—
Executive Director, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
Yes. I can't speak to the editorial decisions of the public broadcaster. Its independence is really important to us, so I'd like to respect it. I can simply say that I think the public broadcaster is always well served to listen to Canadians. Having more resources to consult with Canadians is definitely important. I don't agree with that kind of content, but I am not in a position to change it.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Julie Dabrusin
We are pretty much done. In fact, I let us go over time by a couple minutes since we started a little late, but we're now at the end of the meeting.
I want to thank you both for your testimony. It was very helpful. This was an interesting conversation.
The meeting is adjourned.