Good morning and thank you for the invitation to appear. My remarks are also about division 17 of part 3 of the bill and, more specifically, about the CBC's inclusion and submission in its bargaining on the Treasury Board.
In my humble opinion, that part of the bill is a serious and appalling breach of the principle of public broadcasting independence, which is one of the fundamental principles of public broadcasting.
I could perhaps quickly explain why I am speaking to this issue. I have been interested in these matters for a number of years. As some of the older individuals among you may remember, I co-chaired, with Gerald Caplan, the last task force that conducted a comprehensive study of issues in Canadian radio and television.
Our task force on broadcasting policy led to the 1991 Broadcasting Act.
It was in that spirit that I decided to come before you.
We have a choice between state television and public television. For decades, since the 1930s—I want to point out that we had a Conservative government at the time—Canadians have opted for public television based on the British model and with the fundamental principle of arm's length management. The bill's provisions undermine the arm's length principle. That principle has been reaffirmed by all governments and in all broadcasting legislation since the 1930s. We had the 1958 legislation, the 1968 legislation and the latest—once again adopted by a Conservative government—the 1991 legislation, which reaffirmed that public radio and television principle and the arm's length principle.
Independence—if we wanted it to mean something—includes independence in human and material resources management. Clearly, that independence does not exempt the public broadcaster from being held accountable. However, that organization is not to be held accountable by the government of the day. It is accountable to Parliament. Numerous mechanisms—sufficient in number—already exist to ensure that accountability. We have the CRTC and the relevant House of Commons Committee—the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. The CBC is also subject to audits carried out by the Auditor General. Those audits are conducted very seriously and are used to assess quality. I have participated in two such audits, and I can assure you that the work done is of an impeccably high standard.
So, if the committee would like to know more about what public television is and what sets it apart from state television—and the same goes for radio, since it's a matter of public radio and television—our Centre d'études sur les médias prepared a booklet on the topic about 10 years ago. UNESCO has translated it into many languages in order to help countries—and especially eastern countries—coming out of a state-run television regime understand what public television is.
If the committee is interested, I can send you copies of the booklet in French and English. That was a way to recognize Canadian expertise. The Canadian system and its independence are clearly not perfect, but many people from around the world look to Canada when they want to create a public television system. The last thing we want to do is lose that. I want to reiterate that the proposed amendments—and I am not sure whether this is intentional or not—are unacceptable and that they undermine the CBC's independence. It is essential for the future of our democratic life to put a stop to this bill.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.