First, Radio-Canada gradually turned into a broadcaster. Corporate choices were made at the expense of in‑house production to support the development of a television industry in the country. As a result, Radio-Canada's entertainment industry, known as variety shows, is mainly produced by the private sector.
With regard to the main impact of reduced funding for the Société Radio-Canada, I must first point out that the CBC and Radio-Canada are closely connected. Your committee has heard testimony on this topic. I won't defend the positions of Radio-Canada management. Ms. Tait and her colleagues are quite capable of doing so, and better than I could.
That said, there are four unions at Radio-Canada. I'm in regular contact with my colleagues in the other unions. We try to work across unions, because we have issues in common.
The Société Radio-Canada is a package. Its mission is different from the missions of private companies. It isn't just a matter of funding. CBC/Radio‑Canada is a societal project that transcends ratings and accounting data.
Changing the funding for Radio‑Canada is a matter for public debate. This debate doesn't belong to the unions or Radio-Canada management. The funding for Radio-Canada belongs to the public and to you, the elected officials. The corporation belongs to all Canadians. It must be seen in this perspective, as a tool for bringing people together from one end of the country to the other. This includes francophones, anglophones and first nations people. The project must be defended and protected. However, this shouldn't be done at the expense of other current models, which have different missions and challenges. CBC/Radio-Canada is a project and must be treated as such.