Official Languages Committee on June 22nd, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Guy Lauzon]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to welcome all Committee members, as well as our guests today.

This morning, we are going to talk about support for francophone minority media. We have three special guests today: Ms. Leblanc, Mr. Lafrance, and Mr. Lalande.

Your opening statement should be no more than 10 minutes long. We will then open it up for questions from members.

[Sylvain Lafrance, Executive Vice-President, French Services, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]

I would like to begin by thanking Committee members for inviting us to appear this morning. I have been working in public broadcasting for 26 years. For quite sometime now, I have taken a very serious interest in issues dealing with the media and la francophonie, and I'm always very pleased to have a chance to talk about them.

Allow me to introduce two close colleagues who are with me today: Louis Lalande, who was made General Manager for the Regions a few weeks ago, and who has been with the Corporation for a very long time; and Christiane Leblanc, who is the first Executive Director of Espace Musique, Radio-Canada's music channel, which presents a diversity of Canadian music.

This is the first time that I have appeared before the Committee as the person responsible for all French services at Radio-Canada--that we have only very recently consolidated, as a matter of fact. So, this is an opportunity for us to present our overall strategy for French services and share our vision of our role as public broadcaster to Canada's regions and its francophone communities.

This is, in fact, a good time to do this, because by consolidating our services, we have added greatly to the strength of the public network. Just to give you a bit of background, keep in mind that our competitors are big media groups that play the “group” card to the hilt. However, Radio-Canada is certainly the most integrated media group of all, which is something we decided citizens should benefit from. That is the main reason behind our reorganization strategy.

The second reason is simple--things are going well at Radio-Canada. Rarely have our TV or radio audience numbers been as high, or our websites as busy. The time is therefore ripe to promote a new philosophy that stresses our commitment to public service, but also seeks to reinforce the media personality of our channels and networks.

We also wish to strengthen our identity as a public broadcaster. In today's media environment, the Radio-Canada “brand” is one of our strengths and a real asset. It is what sets us apart. And with the proliferation of platforms, our quality, diversity, and depth as a public broadcaster must be evident to all. As a public service group, Radio-Canada must continue to play its role in enhancing the cultural and democratic life of Canadians everywhere.

Last week, Ms. Oda, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, asked the CRTC to assess the impact of changing technology on radio and television in Canada. This is obviously a matter of key concern to us as a public broadcaster. At Radio-Canada, we view new technology as an opportunity to be seized, not a threat to be feared. We are already present on some 27 platforms, including the web, satellite, broadcasting, and cell phones. We will continue to study changes in technology to harness their potential and make our public system available on all emerging platforms, as it should be.

As I was saying, the multi-platform environment offers new opportunities to public broadcasters to better fulfill their mission of service to citizens. For instance, Radio-Canada International can now provide programming to Canadians through the Internet and satellite radio, and platforms that complement Radio-Canada's national and regional services.

Last December, RCI launched a new multilingual channel on Sirius Canada that, for the first time ever, broadcasts programming to the Canadian public. Next fall, RCI will launch a web radio service aimed at newcomers to Canada. Why such a service? Well, apart from the huge challenge we all know it can be for newcomers to integrate, their arrival is also changing the francophone face of Canada all across the country.

Of course, one of the most crucial issues with respect to integration is that of cultural cohabitation in a spirit of mutual understanding and acceptance. It is our role, as a public broadcaster, to forge ties between new citizens and the communities that welcome them.

It was to address this need that we decided to create a new service at Radio Canada International. A veritable multiplatform radio portal, our new web radio channel will broadcast general interest programming and special reports that will take a no-holds-barred look at issues in Canadian society, particularly those related to immigration and the integration of newcomers.

For our francophone communities, this new Radio Canada International service will become a valuable tool for forging ties with newcomers and welcoming them with respect and understanding. This is a great illustration of the role that we, as public broadcasters, must play within contemporary Canadian society.

Of course, another of Radio-Canada's important roles is obviously to offer distinctive, quality programming to francophones from coast to coast. And when I look at our record, I'm proud of what we have accomplished so far and really look forward to what's coming up next season. As you will see, we are present all across Canada and are investing massively to spur production, so as to support francophone culture and see it flourish in every region of the country.

Allow me to cite a few facts that provide a concrete illustration of what this means.

In television, we have eight regional stations, six of which are outside Quebec. The fact is that nearly 60 per cent of regional television budgets is devoted to francophone communities outside Quebec. We present at least one regional edition of Le Téléjournal in each of the regions where we provide services, for a total of 13 regional newscasts. Whether for news or culture, our regional productions reflect life in local communities. In all, we offer nearly 60 hours a week of regional programming.

Again in television, our support for independent productions outside Quebec has increased considerably. In eight years, we have quadrupled the number of projects and television hours funded by the Canadian Television Fund. In 2005-06, there were some 18 projects with a licence value of $2.2 million.

With independent producers in the regions, we have also developed documentaries and dramas that reflect the hopes and realities of local communities.

For example, Francoeur, a drama series written and produced in Ontario, was broadcast in network prime time in the spring and summer of 2005, capturing a 13 per cent share of the viewing audience.

Also, there is the new drama series called Planète Belle-Baie, written by a Caraquet filmmaker and set in a small Acadian town in New Brunswick. Filming of the first eleven episodes of the series began on June 18.

Séquestrés is a new 90-minute drama written and produced in Winnipeg--a first for French-language television in Canada.

As well, ARTV--we are one of the channel's main shareholders--devoted 20 per cent of its budget in 2005-06 to regional productions. Pour l'amour du country, one of the channel's most popular shows, is produced in Moncton. Other products are in the works with producers in Toronto and Winnipeg.

In radio, we have been investing in the regions since the late 1990s, and now have 20 regional production centres, including 11 in communities outside Quebec. Over two thirds of the total radio budget for the regions is earmarked for communities outside Quebec.

At Première Chaîne, 100 per cent of prime time is devoted to regional programming. It is also the only francophone radio network to have reporters right across Canada. Espace Musique, which we will come back to a little later, is also firmly ensconced in the regions.

We also have a strong regional presence on the web. For example, regional news is prominently featured on Radio-Canada.ca, one of the most popular media sites in Canada.

A few years ago, we launched transcultural initiatives for the complete CBC and Radio-Canada networks involving both the French and English media. These projects foster synergies and engender a very beneficial cross-fertilization among the media. They bring communities into closer contact and help them learn about each other. It's a unique approach and a source of great pride for us as a public broadcaster.

I could go on for hours about all our initiatives in the regions, but I would rather turn things over now to my colleagues, who will speak to you about two significant accomplishments by Radio-Canada in terms of reflecting regional realities and contributing to community development. I will turn first to Christiane Leblanc, Executive Director of Espace Musique.

[Christiane Leblanc, Executive Director, Espace Musique, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]

Thank you, Sylvain.

Espace Musique was launched in September 2004 with the very clear mission of stimulating musical diversity and developing Canadian musical talent. Its impact was felt immediately right across the country. We actually began broadening network coverage in 2002 into what would become Espace Musique by adding some 20 new transmitters. As a result, Espace Musique is today a national network present in every province and in 91 per cent of Canadian homes.

Espace Musique plays an active part in the development and promotion of musical life in all its forms right across the country. We are behind a number of support initiatives for young talent, both in song and classical music, and we are involved in all the leading musical events across the country, from the Vancouver Jazz Festival to Caraquet's Acadian Festival. Every year, a significant portion of our live concert recordings are in the regions. In fact, this summer alone, over 70 per cent of the 108 concerts we will record at Espace Musique will be outside Montreal.

As I was saying, the fact that Espace Musique is broadcast coast to coast puts us in touch with all Canadians. For example, 30 per cent of Espace Musique's audience is people living outside Quebec, compared to 67 per cent living outside the Montreal metropolitan area. Interestingly enough, 27 per cent of Espace Musique's total cross-Canada listenership is anglophone or allophone--a great example of music building bridges between cultures.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

I said it last week to our senior management team when they met to discuss strategy, and I'll say it again with conviction today: it is fundamental for us as Radio-Canada, as a public broadcaster, to be present throughout Canada. The reason is simple--well-informed citizens are better citizens, so we must inform them of everything that is happening in Canada.

A success story on the news front is RDI. RDI was launched 11 years ago, and today reaches over 2.6 million viewers a week. With RDI, we have succeeded in creating a veritable journalistic strike force in all the main regions of the country, one that we can call on today to launch new programming centred on breaking news.

To provide additional information about this new positioning, allow me to turn the floor over now to Louis Lalande, who, before I asked him to take up the mantle of General Manager for the Regions and develop an overall regional strategy for French services, held the position of General Manager of French Language TV News, where he oversaw development of this new positioning for RDI.

[Louis Lalande, General Manager for the Regions, French Services, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]

Thank you, Sylvain.

First allow me to briefly explain the context over the last two years or so as we developed our new positioning.

Like everybody, we had noticed the news environment had changed a lot. We were facing new competition from other TV outlets, but also new media platforms. Basically, the public was no longer consuming news the same way as before.

Despite the great viewership numbers Sylvain cited, RDI was still locked into a rigid programming dynamic with regional shows at set times that did not always allow it to adequately cover regional news, among other things. The fact is that we were receiving a lot of complaints about regional programming being constantly interrupted to cover breaking news, an understandable cause of frustration for our viewers.

We wanted to both reinforce our regional presence and develop a more fluid approach, with greater editorial consistency. With the depth of our journalist teams across the country, we at RDI are the only francophone news network able to provide complete cross-Canada coverage, from live reports anywhere in the country, to compelling analyses and discussion of all aspects of a story. By building more flexibility into our coverage from 6:00 to 6:00, Monday to Friday, we can offer live coverage of the news, anywhere in Canada, at any time.

Another of our strengths is the ability to offer regional perspectives on national and international news. The softwood lumber dispute, which has been the subject of a great deal of discussion in recent months, is a good example of that strength, In Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, and the West, our journalists provided a regional take on the issue and analyzed the dispute and its impact from the perspective of local communities and their main players and stakeholders.

Lastly, we are going to create a new 10:30 p.m. newscast to recap the day's main stories from the regional Téléjournal editions and provide an overview of top events in the various regions of the country.

I would like to conclude by pointing out that regional programming is a fundamental requirement under our CRTC licence, and that we have always met our obligation to include at least one third regional content in our programming.

We view on-the-ground support from the regions as vital to the success of our all-news format at RDI, and we are convinced that the contributions of the regions to our new approach will be even more decisive and significant.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

One of our distinctive features as a public broadcaster is to be present throughout the country and play an active part in the cultural and public life of the communities we serve.

As I said earlier, our goal is to institute an overall strategy for French services focussed around our regional presence and reflection of the regions in our national coverage. The challenge is to interlink strategies and clearly set out our goals and how we intend to meet them.

That's why we have created a Regions Directorate to coordinate our decision-making. In fact, Louis Lalande's first task will be to design our new strategy by this fall.

At the beginning of my opening comments, I also mentioned the multiplatform environment that is posing new challenges, but also offering new opportunities to fulfill our role as public broadcasters.

For the future media and communications world we now see unfolding, we need to trust the wisdom of those who created the Canadian broadcasting system in 1936. Its success rests on a balance between public and private broadcasters, and it has enabled us to preserve our cultural identity.

Public broadcasters must continue to play a central role in this system. The strength of the public system must serve as a bulwark against the loss of cultural identities and the erosion of democracy.

Canadians will still have a fundamental need for access to media that help them understand local, regional, national, and international realities, whether the delivery platform is traditional or new.

Radio-Canada will continue to meet this challenge and offer Canadians a public system that is both strong and relevant to their lives.

That concludes our presentation. We are now available to take your questions. Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Guy Lauzon]

I want to thank our three guests for a very interesting presentation.

We are going to start the first round of questioning. Each party will have five minutes.

Mr. Murphy.

[Brian Murphy, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Lafrance, I'd like to begin by thanking you for your presentation.

I also want to say, on behalf of people in the Maritimes, New Brunswick, Moncton, and Acadians, that we are delighted that Radio-Canada is active regionally, both in New Brunswick and the other regions.

I have a couple of comments, and then I'll have a few questions.

Mr. Lafrance mentioned that services are being reorganized. We are a little concerned about that, because in the past, there have been some bad times in terms of regional and local service.

As you know, in my riding of Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, the only major Radio-Canada bureau is there to provide television programming. As you yourself pointed out, there are three main shows: Le téléjournal/Atlantique at 12 p.m., Le téléjournal/Atlantique at 6 p.m., and special shows such as coverage of the Acadian Games, masses, the August 15th national holiday, and so on.

This is important programming for our community--we all agree on that. However, local programming is often interrupted to present newscasts that are not particularly important to the people of our region. Let me give you a couple of specific examples. On January 16 of this year, notaries in Quebec gave a live news conference. Then on January 18, there was coverage of a live news conference given by the Leader of the Parti Québécois. On January 20, there was coverage of the City of Montreal's budget. These are things that are very important to people living in Quebec; I understand that. However, for people in my region, they aren't important enough to interrupt local coverage. I just want you to know that regional news shows are very important to people living in the regions.

When you talk about a new face for Radio-Canada or a new level of service, I do hope you're not talking about job losses in the Atlantic region. I hope that you can provide assurances that there will be no cutbacks affecting newscasts in the Atlantic provinces.

Finally, if you can, I would like to receive some assurance from you that air time for regional news will not be cut back. I know I'm also speaking for my colleagues from Manitoba and other regions of Canada. Can you give me that assurance? That would assuage concerns I've had since hearing that Radio-Canada intends to reorganize services. We know that under similar circumstances in the past, there have been job losses in Moncton.

Thank you.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

There have been job losses across Canada in the past. The 1990 or 1995 cutbacks affected Canada as a whole, and not just Moncton.

To begin with, I want to point out that the reorganization that occurred in Montreal has nothing to do with saving money or anything like that. That reorganization had two objectives: to ensure better integration of Radio-Canada's services as a whole, and to create a regional brand, to ensure that the regions have a stronger voice.

Louis can perhaps provide additional details once I'm finished, but let's talk about interruptions in newscasts. This occurred on the Réseau de l'information, called RDI, which is a breaking news channel. As a result, when a specific event occurred, we had to carry the news immediately, resulting in the interruption of certain televised newscasts, because the regional newscasts are broadcast at specific times.

It's important to understand that RDI broadcasts the same material all across Canada and that it has no regional stations. It is a cross-Canada national network, with no regional windows. It is important to understand that reality. As a result, when a special event occurs, regular programming is obviously interrupted. You cited a number of good reasons for reviewing RDI's current mandate. Of course, there will always be breaking news. At all times of the day, there are reporters on site in Moncton, Edmonton, Vancouver, and elsewhere to ensure direct coverage of an event without a need to interrupt regional newscasts which, rightly so, bothers audiences.

However, we can guarantee that the space currently set aside for the regions on RDI will not change. That is a CRTC licence condition.

Louis, would you like to continue?

[Louis Lalande]

That is, indeed, a CRTC licence condition that we intend to abide by. As a result, we have decided to change the current formula, under which every region had a very specific time slot, in favour of a more flexible arrangement, in order to avoid precisely what you have talked about. If an unexpected event occurs, in Quebec or elsewhere, we can address it within our flexible programming grid, and will therefore not be forced to interrupt previously announced programs.

However, in order to be sure we can meet all our commitments, we have created a measurement tool which will allow us to assess, on a daily basis, the origin of all our news. That shows that we are taking a serious approach to these issues. We want to be sure that all teams will be able to assess, on a weekly basis, the number of items and the time devoted to regional news programming.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

I would like to come back to the matter of budget cuts. There will be no budget cuts. I should also point out that Radio-Canada is an organization that employs about 10,000 people. Every year, some people leave, and others join the organization.

However, the RDI plan includes neither budget nor staff cuts, in any of the regions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Guy Lauzon]

Mr. Murphy, your seven minutes are up.

Ms. Barbot, you have the floor.

[Vivian Barbot, Bloc, Papineau, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Good morning. I want to thank you for being with us today. I'm a passionate Radio-Canada listener. I would even say that I am a die-hard fan, particularly of radio--more so than television. It provides more of an opportunity to know what is going on. Based on your presentation, as well as what I have heard, it seems quite clear that radio has a much higher level of penetration than does television. People complain a lot about the fact that television does not convey the same thing as radio, and that is really too bad.

First of all, I am surprised at your comments about the multilingual channel. Are you indeed talking about Radio Canada International?

[Sylvain Lafrance]

We develop special programming for Radio Canada International for Canada, for a very simple reason: Radio Canada International produces programming in nine languages. It basically deals with culture and democracy in Canada, and that programming is broadcast overseas. And yet, when you look at Canada's current immigration, you see that 36 per cent of newcomers to Canada speak neither French nor English. Being able to explain what is going on in Canada in Chinese or Arabic, for example, could be an extraordinary way of welcoming people to this country. As a result, we have decided to provide satellite service via the Internet starting in the fall. This is only the first manifestation of the services we would like to provide to newcomers. I believe a public broadcaster has a responsibility to develop citizen solidarity and should thus encourage cultural cohabitation.

In our opinion, the ability to broadcast these kinds of programs in Canada would be absolutely fantastic, given the number of people who only speak Mandarin in the Vancouver area, for example. We already produce programs about Canada in Mandarin. We want these programs to be available in Canada.

[Vivian Barbot, Bloc, Papineau, QC]

Continuing my thought process, I find that somewhat paradoxical, given that you have also talked about integration. If we're talking about languages, especially French and English, it can be difficult to ensure that they coexist on a equal basis all across Canada.

In my own riding, people speak some 136 languages. If we were intent on speaking to every citizen in his language of origin, we would never manage it. So, we desperately try to bring people to speak the language of the majority.

I am wondering whether integration should necessarily be based on what is common. As I see it, what you are trying to do is present programs in other citizens' language of origin about the way we do things here, as opposed to sharing with them our understanding of what is essential for their proper integration.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

I believe we have the same goal. This radio programming is especially designed for newcomers. When a newcomer arrives here, that person, who may speak Chinese, Arabic or Russian, will learn about how to settle in Canada and how our democratic and cultural systems work here. The whole purpose is to integrate these people into our system, whether it's in French or English. It will be a multilingual channel. We shouldn't expect someone who speaks Chinese and settles in Vancouver to be listening to that radio programming for 15 years, because he would always hear exactly the same thing--namely, how people deal with their arrival in Canada.

It really is intended to be a station for people who have just come to Canada, so that newcomers will be interested in listening to Radio-Canada or CBC in French or English all across the country. We see it as transitional radio programming aimed at welcoming newcomers to Canada, as opposed to all allophones living in Canada.

[Vivian Barbot, Bloc, Papineau, QC]

I'll try and listen to some of the programming, but I doubt very much that it will achieve the desired goal. The subjects would obviously be very limited in scope. But you can decide you are a newcomer to Canada ten years after settling here.

So, it may work, as long as the subjects or stories are really specifically aimed at meeting the needs of people who have just come to Canada.

The other point is that I really don't understand how this can help francophones.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

When we meet francophones from Edmonton, Vancouver or Toronto, in particular, the fact is we see far fewer White Catholics from the St. Lawrence Valley among them. There are lots of people from around the world who live in Toronto and are part of the francophone community, because they're from an African country or North Africa where French is spoken. For the francophone communities, this is an important issue, because they would like immigrants to learn French and understand that it is possible to live one's life in French in Canada.

We can welcome and support immigrants in their own language and tell them that we provide services in French, and that there are things happening in French in Toronto. We can encourage them to get involved and to continue to live life in French in Toronto and Vancouver.

This is the kind of thing that is frequently asked of us. When we visit with francophone communities, particularly west of Ottawa, we are often asked how we can provide services to immigrants. Sometimes this contributes to increased numbers of francophones in a given region.

[Vivian Barbot, Bloc, Papineau, QC]

Was that actually part of Radio-Canada's mandate, or was it added because of these new requirements? There are many groups out there providing settlement and integration services. I find it surprising that you're doing this, since the Corporation's primary mandate is to promote two official languages. That is a completely different area of activity.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

Radio Canada International has been around for 60 years. Now we simply offer that programming to Canadians, because we believe it's a useful tool. In any case, because all Canadians have paid for those programs to be developed in nine languages, offering them to Canadians only seems logical, particularly if you look at Canadian demographics. It's as simple as that. You mustn't see it for more than it really is.

[Vivian Barbot, Bloc, Papineau, QC]

You mentioned competition a number of times. You also talked about the media personality of competitor stations and of the Radio-Canada brand.

In your opinion, what is the difference between commercial radio and television programming and the kind of programming available on Radio-Canada? Radio-Canada is often criticized for being increasingly similar to what is available elsewhere.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

There really isn't much of a resemblance. What motivates our decisions is Radio-Canada's mission--not profit. That changes everything. Our radio services are a good example of that. Radio-Canada's television programming schedule includes 42 hours of news programs. There is not one private station that does that. We have science, religious and regional programming from all over. No private station does that. We broadcast major Canadian drama programs more than any other network does. We have news from across Canada. And our analysis of the francophone market is that our programming is totally different from what is available on TVA or TQS.

For some types of programming, such as variety shows, there can be similarities. However--I'm new to television, I'm from radio--there is no doubt in my mind that most of our television programming focuses on public service and that what motivates our decision-making are things like democracy and culture. That's important.

If you analyze the schedule as a whole and compare it to what's available on TQS, TVA or any other television network, you will see that our television programming is truly different in many different ways.

[The Chair, Conservative, Guy Lauzon]

Thank you, Mr. Lafrance and Ms. Barbot. Mr. Godin, do you have any questions?

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I want to welcome you and congratulate you on your new responsibilities. But with responsibilities come other things as well.

Personally, I would say that Radio-Canada is our television network. It saddens me to hear people talking about Radio-Canada and the regions, because you really get the feeling that Radio-Canada is more like Radio-Montréal, and that the rest of Canada is made up of regions. It looks as though we are making a difference. You say that Radio-Canada has done this or that in the regions. But when you talk about New Brunswick, a province with some 250,000 Acadians living there, you talk about it as being a region.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

If I can just make one comment, I'd say that also applies to Montreal.