Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank you for having us today. We're very pleased to appear before the members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. This is the first time we've appeared before the committee, and we're delighted to have this opportunity.
I'm going to talk to you about community television in Canada. Community television stations have been established across the country for over 50 years. In Quebec, in particular, there are more than 40 independent community television stations, or ICTs, in 14 of the province's 17 administrative districts. There are 30 more in the rest of Canada, which is very few compared to Quebec. There were more than 300 in the 1990s, but the lack of specificity and guidelines for ICTs has meant that they have gradually disappeared as a result of amendments to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act, among others.
Our ICTs produce, on average, six hours of original programming per week, a third of which is news, which is still a lot. There are 200 full-time jobs, 70 part-time contract jobs, and more than 1,500 volunteers who focus on local production. Television stations generally have a budget that varies between $45,000 to $500,000 per year—a very wide range. In Quebec, we are fortunate to be funded by the Quebec Department of Culture and Communications, in addition to receiving a portion of the investments that are made in government advertising. This doesn't exist either at the federal level or in the other provinces.
The community component is essential to the Canadian broadcasting system. The community component is one of the three pillars of the Canadian system, along with the private and public sectors. Today, more than ever, we need a robust community broadcasting system. Newsrooms have been closing for a number of years now, while commercial business models are struggling to adapt to digital competition, among other things. Communities outside the major centres are being abandoned, and they are becoming media deserts quite quickly.
Studies clearly show that the lack of local representation compromises Canadian democracy. Community broadcasters are local non-profit organizations created by and for citizens. We are ensuring that minorities and local populations have access to traditional and digital platforms, which is very important.
The advantage of community media is that they’re part of the community. They’re there for the long term. They collaborate and provide visibility to businesses, community and sport organizations, local artisans and artists, educational institutions, as well as various levels of government, from municipal to federal, and elected officials who do not have a voice in traditional national or regional media.
The community model is effective, efficient and sustainable. It makes it possible to produce productions for much less than what is done in private companies.
We meet a need for local programming in Canadian media. We are very inclusive. We make sure that local communities are represented. Education and training are among the main missions of community television. To achieve this mission, we need more recognition and specificity in our role.
It's with this in mind that we've made the various requests for amendments to the act that we have presented to you.
Thank you.