Official Languages Committee on May 14th, 2009

[Hubert T. Lacroix]

No, but that's their bid, Madame Glover. Those are their partners. In the same way, as I told you a few seconds ago, we made a bid for $93 million with our partners at that time, which were CanWest Global, the Score, La Presse, and Telus. That was our consortium. We bid $93 million U.S.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

But you forgot the first part of my question, Mr. Lacroix, which had to do with the social responsibility to provide. If I could afford to do it, I would make sure they all got to see it.

[Hubert T. Lacroix]

Yes, but we lost the bid, madame. We don't own these rights.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I know you lost the bid. That's why I'm wanting to try to figure out how we can get the two of you working together so we can provide this to Canadians, all Canadians, and particularly francophones outside Quebec because they are going to be the ones who lose out here.

So I'm looking at both these offers and trying to figure out how we can move you both to a centre point where it's acceptable and start thinking about those Canadian who aren't going to get—

[Hubert T. Lacroix]

I care very, very deeply, madame, about delivering our service, the CBC/Radio-Canada service, to as many Canadians as we can at all times.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Good.

[Hubert T. Lacroix]

I care deeply about the francophones who are outside Quebec. I'm a francophone. I understand what that means.

We don't own the rights to the Games in 2010. CTV owns them and tells us, “We don't need you. We have met the conditions of the bid, which was—”

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I think they've said they need you. I think it's—

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

Can I add something about the balance of needs? This is all a question of balance of needs. That's why we ask if it's a good balance of needs to cut all the cultural programming during two weeks, all information programming, to one million Canadians outside Quebec because 12,000 of them maybe will listen to the Olympics because they have no cable, no satellite? It's again a question of balance. Should we cut that to every francophone outside Quebec?

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Ms. Glover.

Mr. Lafrance, in the course of the discussions, there was some talk of broadcasting only the opening and closing ceremonies. Is there any possibility in that regard?

[Sylvain Lafrance]

Well, it's the same problem. The consortium is telling us that we can cover the Games, but it will be their advertising and their revenues, and we will have to bear the costs.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

They said they were prepared to compensate you for lost advertising revenues.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

When they set out their conditions, there was no mention of that. Yesterday morning, they made no reference to any kind of compensation. They first condition is that we relinquish our entire commercial inventory as well as all the revenues.

[Hubert T. Lacroix]

Mr. Blaney, I believe you are referring to the 2005 offers, which were discussed subsequently. However, that is not what was on the table yesterday, when CTV's new proposal was discussed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

The people from CTV suggested in their comments that their new proposal included an offer of compensation. However, that does not seem to have materialized.

[Sylvain Lafrance]

Following Tuesday's Committee meeting, they only made us aware of their conditions verbally. They told us that they would forward them to us in writing in the coming days. The fact remains, though, that the first condition was for us to relinquish our entire commercial inventory.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Pardon me?

[Sylvain Lafrance]

We would have to relinquish our entire commercial inventory and all the revenues.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I had understood that they were offering compensation. It would be nice to know what is going on.

Mr. D'Amours, please.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Lacroix, Mr. Lafrance, thank you for being here.

I certainly got your point about cultural programming, news, and so on, and that you would have to continue providing the basic services that people expect to receive. On the other hand, we are talking about the Olympic Games. I am quite disappointed to see the kind of rules that CTV seems to want to impose on you. You already have a funding shortfall of $171 million, and you have to find an additional $56 million because the Conservatives are demanding that you reduce your spending by 5%. That is exactly what Mr. Lacroix said.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

One moment, please. I would like to remind everyone that Mr. D'Amours has the floor.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Chairman, as Mr. Lacroix already stated, the Conservative government has asked Radio-Canada/CBC to reduce its budget by 5%. Ms. Glover says that is not true, but everyone knows that it is.

To continue what I was saying, you now have to find an additional $56 million. On the government side, they make a big deal about social responsibility and then ask you to reduce your spending. However, supposing the Conservative government proposed compensation for your foregone revenues, as well as transmission costs, such that the Olympic coverage issue could be resolved. Would that begin to sound attractive to you?

[Hubert T. Lacroix]

I don't want to engage in conjecture about what could happen.

The only thing I want to repeat, Mr. D'Amours, is that in a situation where we are suddenly invited to provide coverage of the Olympic Games to Francophone Canadians all across Canada, we cannot, in our current circumstances, consider doing that with losses that would worsen our current economic situation, given that 800 jobs have had to be cut and that people will be receiving layoff notices from us.

I have no further comment.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

I respect the fact that you have no further comment to make.

However, there is still the additional 5% that you will have to find. At some point, if the government wants to be that socially responsible, I think it is high time it gave CBC/Radio-Canada the financial means to provide coverage of the Olympic Games.

Mr. Lafrance.