Evidence of meeting #140 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was radio-canada.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you.
Did you finish, Ms. Tait?
You have another couple of seconds to go.
Go ahead.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Oh, I thought you said seconds.
That's fine.
Here is one last thing: It means that Canadians would not have access to international news presented to them by Canadian journalists.
Our foreign correspondents are a very important asset.
Liberal
Taleeb Noormohamed Liberal Vancouver Granville, BC
Madam Tait, thank you so much.
I don't know whether I'm going to have a chance to ask you questions again but, in the words of Mr. Dressup, “Keep your crayons sharp and your sticky tape untangled, and always put the tops back on your markers.”
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you very much.
Before we end the meeting, because we're coming along to end it now, I want to ask you a question, Ms. Tait. I've been listening to all of these hearings. We've been hearing bandied about the idea that you make more money than the Prime Minister. We had Bell Canada here, and I know the Conservatives themselves and everyone at this table was appalled by the layoffs at Bell Canada when the CEO was making $13 million a year. I remember people asking whether he would give up some of that to keep his staff. However, I just want to ask you, given that kind of salary for a CEO of a private broadcaster, what would happen if there were no more CBC and we had to depend only on private broadcasting to give us the news, given that—I know in my neck of the woods, in British Columbia—a lot of people cannot get news other than from CBC? What would happen?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
What would happen is that many communities across the country....
I can't hear. These people are talking so loudly.
Liberal
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
What would happen is we would have more news deserts. Already in Canada, in many communities private news organizations have shuttered, and that would just accelerate. With the absence of CBC/Radio-Canada, you and your community would have no Canadian news. What that means is you would depend on Facebook, Google and other foreign services to get your news. I would say that it will be absolutely.... It will make Canada no better. In fact, it will make it worse. I guess that's what I would say to that.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
—over and over. I suppose you've been here so often that we should make you a member of the committee, perhaps.
I call this meeting adjourned.
