Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses for being here.
I think we're crossing over two different issues. One is transparency and the other is accountability. Transparency means the openness of providing information for public view, and the issue was around the scope of that transparency. But accountability is somewhat different. Just because you're open with your numbers doesn't necessarily mean you're being accountable. I think there is a difference and I think that's the issue at hand when you talk about CBC being attacked.
Of course the private broadcaster is held accountable by its shareholders and by its profit on the bottom line. You're running a public broadcaster at a $1.1-billion deficit, a loss. But you have a different mandate, and I know there is a different landscape you are actually working under. As a former northerner who enjoyed CBC in the north, where other broadcasters were not giving that service, it was great.
The issue is accountability under your leadership and what's going to happen here through this opportunity for the public to see more transparent information regarding the operation of CBC. You're going to have some challenges explaining the accountability.
You're in the business of communication. You have done a great job this morning of explaining to me some of the issues of the accountability in some of the expenses and things CBC does. But there are your shareholders out there, the public, and I don't think CBC has necessarily done a great job in communicating that accountability. The fact is, the application for access to information has brought into view that people want to see that accountability.
That's the question to you, sir. Do you see a program or something you're going to be able to do with the corporation to provide a little better accountability to Canadians and justify your operation?