Okay. Awesome. Thank you.
Well, thank you to my colleague Kevin for bringing attention to that.
Once again, those words did come from me. I would just highlight for this committee that we have every ability to work during a break week. I realize that many of us are returning to our constituencies and will be working there, but there's no problem. We can always log on and do this meeting by Zoom. Those seven days shouldn't be a problem.
The second thing I would say to the committee is with regard to having the Minister of Heritage appear. Look, there are a couple of things that need to be noted here. Mr. Noormohamed mentioned that the minister is not responsible for answering for the CBC; in fact, actually, the minister is responsible for giving a contract to Ms. Tait and for having renewed that contract to Ms. Tait. Further, the minister is responsible for now doing the search and finding the next CEO or president of the CBC, and so the minister is actually directly involved.
I'm not sure if Mr. Noormohamed is implying that she is politically interfering in the CBC by making these hiring decisions or if Mr. Noormohamed is simply looking to mislead the members of this committee by saying that the mandate is different from what it actually is. Nevertheless, it is true that the minister has a lot to do with the CBC and the decisions that are made at the head of the organization.
The third thing I would raise is that it is the minister, in fact, who also made the decision with regard to the additional money that is going to the CBC. It is the minister who has determined that almost another $100 million will be given to the public broadcaster for this upcoming year, and we can expect to see that solidified in the budget. That is my understanding.
For these reasons, it does seem that, based on the motion Mr. Champoux has brought forward, which has to do with both of these things that I just stated, it would be appropriate for us to hear from the minister in addition to Ms. Tait.
You'll note that I am not taking away from the time that Ms. Tait is to be given. She will have two hours, and the Minister of Heritage will also have two hours. It's simply an addition. There's nothing being deleted or taken away from the motion.