Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee.
As you know, with me today from the CRTC are Michel Arpin, Vice-Chair of Broadcasting, and Annie Laflamme, Director of French-Language Television Policy and Applications.
I would like to thank the Committee for inviting us to express our views on a matter of national importance. In less than a year, Canada will welcome athletes, media and spectators from dozens of countries as the host of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The competitions will be broadcast around the world in countless languages. And yet, in Canada, we face the prospect that some francophones may not have access to coverage of the Olympic Games in their own language on conventional television.
The International Olympic Committee awarded the domestic broadcasting rights to a consortium that includes CTVglobemedia and Rogers Media. As it currently stands, the Olympic Games will be seen in French on the conventional television network TQS and the specialty services Réseau des sports (RDS) and Réseau Info-Sports (RIS). In addition, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network will dedicate part of its French-language programming to the Olympic Games.
The consortium intends to make TQS, RDS, and RIS available free of charge to all cable companies that offer digital television services in markets with an English-speaking majority for the duration of the Olympic Games. However, this will leave a small number of francophones, who rely on over-the-air television signals or subscribe to analog cable, without access to French coverage of the games. Their options will be limited to watching English broadcasts or, for those who have access, relying on the Internet or mobile devices.
The best solution, as far as we can see, would be for CTVglobemedia and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to reach an agreement allowing the CBC to broadcast the events on its French language television service. At the very least, the CBC should be able to broadcast key events such as the opening and closing ceremonies.
What efforts has the CRTC made? In January, we held a public hearing to examine the broadcasting services available to Canada's official language minority communities. Both CTVglobemedia and the CBC appeared before us during the hearing. We took advantage of this opportunity to press the broadcasters on the issue of the Olympic Games.
When the CBC appeared on the first day, we were informed that negotiations with the consortium had ground to a halt. We reminded the CBC that as a public broadcaster, it has a responsibility to serve Canadians in both official languages from one end of the country to the other. Moreover, only the CBC has the capacity to offer over-the-air television coverage of the Olympic Games to francophones minority communities.
We questioned CTVglobemedia the following day. In response to the suggestion that further discussions could be held with the CBC, Mr. Rick Brace, CTVglobemedia's President of Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, told us: "In our view, it is just too late in the process now to turn back and try to make it happen."
In our view, CTVglobemedia has a responsibility, as a private broadcaster using the public spectrum, to make sure that Canadians see national events like the Olympic Games in the official language of their choice.
Going into the public hearing, we wanted to hear the commitment from both sides. The answers we received were not satisfactory, and we so indicated. We urged them to resume discussions and to find a solution so that French-language coverage of the Olympic Games is seen by the maximum number of French Canadians, both in Quebec and in the rest of Canada.
On April 17, l personally wrote to CTVglobemedia and the CBC asking for an update. Attached herewith are copies of the two letters I received in response. You can read them for yourself. The responses speak for themselves.
We feel that we have gone as far as we can. An agreement can only be reached through commercial negotiations, if it's not already too late. It's not the commission's place to impose itself in these types of negotiations. You have a chance to ask the broadcasters themselves to explain why they have been unable to come to an understanding.
Let me say a few words about new media.
During our public hearing in January, we also explored the availability of broadcasting services through new media. The commission believes that these services could play a key role in enhancing the reflection of official language minority communities in the Canadian broadcasting system.
There are a number of social networking websites that bring together people from dispersed communities who share a common interest, such as a language. For instance, groups can be created by Saskatchewan francophones (or Fransaskois) or by anglophones living in Gaspé by using social networking software such as Facebook. We were somewhat disappointed that official-language minority groups do not seem to have grasped this medium's untapped potential, that it could be used in a variety of ways to support their cultural development.
The Olympic Games provide a perfect opportunity to make full use of such platforms. The consortium has informed us that all of its programming, whether it originates on TSN or TQS, will be streamed live on its website. Real-time updates and videos will be available on mobile devices, and programming will also be available on demand, if you want to watch an event you missed earlier in the day.
While the consortium's strategy is commendable, much of this content is only accessible through a broadband Internet connection. We all know that there are many areas in this country where broadband is not yet available. The most recent federal budget set aside $225 million for the deployment of broadband Internet in remote communities. In addition, all of the provinces and territories have been developing their own initiatives to improve broadband access.
These are encouraging signs, but much more needs to be done.
In the report we submitted to the federal government on March 30, we recommended that all levels of government should support the adoption and implementation of broadband Internet access in remote and rural official-language minority communities. Short-term solutions might include favouring cost-effective technologies, such as satellite or wireless Internet access.
In closing, everyone associated with the 2010 Olympic Games has a responsibility to do the country proud. Canadians are entitled to watch these events, which are taking place in their own backyard, in the official language of their choice. The commission feels very strongly about this. We have encouraged CTVglobemedia and the CBC to work through the current impasse. We see no reason why they would be unable to reach a compromise.
We'll be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.
