Evidence of meeting #124 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cbc.
A video is available from Parliament.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning to all the witnesses. I regret that we have such limited time with you before this committee.
Mr. Georgetti I believe you said that you represent 3.3 million Canadian workers?
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
I presume that means your organization, through those members, is involved in negotiating thousands of collective agreements and that those workers are represented by thousands of collective agreements across Canada. Is that correct?
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Is my understanding correct that policy decisions at the Canadian Labour Congress are taken at a convention with thousands of members present and that, in fact, that's where you are elected as president of the CLC. Is that correct?
President, Canadian Labour Congress
We have 3,000 delegates at a convention, yes.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Okay, thank you.
Mr. Charette, it sounds like you represent 10 times that many people. You're advocating fair pensions for all, so it sounds like you represent 34.5 million Canadians. Is that the membership of your organization?
Senior Policy Advisor, Fair Pensions for All
No, it's not. As far as representing, it may be better to say representing workers in the private sector, which are about 14 million, and a little bit more this year.
NDP
NDP
Senior Policy Advisor, Fair Pensions for All
We formed the organization about eight months ago as a non-profit and we're slowly gathering momentum. There's lots of interest in what we're doing, particularly as people find out the disparity between the public and private sector.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Okay, but no convention where your policies are voted on and adopted.
Senior Policy Advisor, Fair Pensions for All
No, no conventions and no resolutions.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Okay, I just wanted to clarify that. I have to move on because I have such little time.
To Mr. Morrison, now I understand from the Canadian Media Guild—maybe you can help clarify this—that the collective agreement at the CBC is not just about wages and benefits but that it contains clauses to help ensure journalistic integrity for Canada's largest journalistic organization. It includes strict conflict-of-interest rules. It ensures that CBC journalists act in the public interest, that journalists are protected from political interference with their work, and that journalists don't have to fear retribution for stories that they may cover on politicians of the day. I understand that the Treasury board's interference could undermine these measures.
Is the CBC's independence—based on these kinds of collective agreement provisions—essential to its performance as a journalistic entity?
Spokesperson, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
I would put it this way. The statutory basis for the CBC's independence enables collective bargaining that creates conditions of work that defend the autonomy of journalists. For example, a journalist cannot be pulled off a story without a reason. Producers have the right to refuse to produce something if for some reason they feel they're being pressured.
There is a whole range of examples—you'll find the list contained in the letter to the Prime Minister that has been circulated this morning—which is the practical expression of journalistic independence. The threat to that is if the government of the day, controlling a Treasury Board employee, gets into the position of approving such matters, there's a danger of interference and a collapse of the whole basis of the independence.
NDP
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
So while we have a public broadcaster, its integrity and independence has been assured by this arm's-length entity. It has been so, not only in its collective agreement but in the statutes controlling that entity.
Spokesperson, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
I would add one thing, Ms. Nash. We know of no other national public broadcaster in any western democracy, in any OECD country, that has any provisions whereby the government of the day can interfere in the conditions of work of its journalists.
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
That's very important.
As I understand, this new attack on the CBC comes after significant budget cuts over the years by both successive Liberal and Conservative governments. I have been contacted about these cuts by thousands of constituents in my riding over the years.
NDP
