—the Community Radio Fund and are earmarked to support the production of independent local news.
This is important because Rogers cannot stomach the idea that they would give money to their competition, but we are independent broadcasters, we are community broadcasters and we are not the competition.
The network of more than 230 community-based broadcasters can and should be part of this solution.
In closing, I will quote Tim Franklin, the head of the Medill local news initiative at Northwestern University. He puts this challenge in some very plain language, saying that “The diminishment of local news is to democracies what climate change is to the environment.... It's a slow-motion crisis, the effects of which we are just beginning to see.”
Madam Chair, thank you for your time. Colleagues, I do look forward to your questions.
I'd be pleased to answer in English or French.
Thank you.