Official Languages Committee on Nov. 17th, 2011

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to make a few comments and ask a few questions.

Mr. Couture, I think you're right about the Société Santé en français. It's the only model under which someone from the provincial government is at the table. I don't know whether she is still a member of the board, but an associate deputy minister of the New Brunswick Department of Health was a member of the board of the Société Santé en français. That's the best example of collaboration among the federal, provincial and community orders. It might be a good idea to consider that elsewhere.

With regard to education and needs, I heard that immersion was one of the under-funded areas. That was said here by a number of groups in particular. There are waiting lists in British Columbia. They've even begun offering immersion at the postsecondary level at the University of Ottawa and the waiting lists are very long. Perhaps the committee should look into that.

When the House sits on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I start my day by listening to Mr. Galipeau, and I choose to end my day by listening to Ms. Galipeau—Céline is her given name—on Radio-Canada. I'd like to cite two speeches that were made in Parliament not so long ago.

The first statement was made by the member for Calgary-West, and I quote it in English:

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the first of thousands of petitions asking to end the patently unfair taxpayer subsidy of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Canadians from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario all want to end the $1,160,000,000 taxpayer subsidization of the CBC.

Rural Canadians from Innisfail, Alberta; Chemainus, British Columbia; Waldheim, Saskatchewan; and Exeter, Ontario, are calling for an end to the $1 billion public subsidy of the state broadcaster.

When we live in a 1,000-channel universe, why spend over $1 billion on a state broadcaster like the CBC?

The second quotation comes from the member for Yorkton—Melville and reads as follows:

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure today to present a large number of petitions from Canadians from coast to coast.

The petitioners call upon the government to de-fund the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. They would particularly like to draw the attention—

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Point of order, Mr. Chair.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

--of the House to the fact that the Government of Canada funds the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to the sum of $1.1 billion per year—

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Mr. Bélanger, I'm sorry to interrupt. Mr. Weston has a point of order.

I hope it's a real point of order. Go ahead.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Bélanger, pardon me for interrupting you, but, for the information of our guests, it must be understood that those petitions—

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Okay, I'm going to interrupt you there. It's not a point of order.

I would ask members of the committee to please not interrupt other members when they have the floor. If it's a real point of order, you may raise it at any time during the committee, but that's a point of information, not a point of order.

Please do not interrupt other members when they have the floor. I think that will allow for better functioning of the committee.

Go ahead, Mr. Bélanger. You have the floor.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I'll finish the quotation:

They would particularly like to draw the attention of the House to the fact that the Government of Canada funds the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to the sum of $1.1 billion per year and that the vast amount of the Government of Canada funding gives the CBC an unfair advantage over its private sector competitors. The petitioners call upon Parliament to end the public funding of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

End of quotation.

By the way, you don't have to table petitions this way. You can table them by just handing them in at the table, Mr. Weston, which means, most often, that when members table them it's because they support the—

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Mr. Bélanger, direct your remarks to the chair, through the chair. Thank you.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Yes, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for that.

But Mr. Weston would know that there's a different way of submitting petitions.

Are there any comments about this initiative to de-fund the CBC?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

We have another point of order.

Go ahead, Monsieur Gourde.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

I would simply like Mr. Bélanger to explain the relevance of his question in view of the fact that it does not really fall into the context of the study we are conducting this morning.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

I think the topics that are being discussed here pertain to the road map and it is a decision by the committee to study this. I think it's a fairly broad area so I'm going to allow the question, because it has to do with Radio-Canada. I would point out that other members on both sides have asked questions about CBC/Radio-Canada in the context of this study of the road map, so I'm going to allow the question.

Go ahead, Mr. Bélanger.

Sorry, Mr. Harris, do you have another point of order?

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

It wasn't a point of order but a comment on that point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

I've already ruled on that point of order--

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

That's all right.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

--so we're going to move on.

Mr. Bélanger, you have the floor.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

How much time do I have left?

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

You have time. Go ahead.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Do you have any comments to make about the relevance of Radio-Canada for your communities?

[Alexis Couture]

In New Brunswick, one issue has been very important in recent years, the issue of bilingual commercial signage and the need for a community to be reflected in the advertising landscape. I believe that need is also present in the media landscape. I believe it is essential for the francophone community across the country and for the French-speaking young people of the country to have a way to see each other, to hear each other and to get to know each other. I believe that Radio-Canada performs that function to the best of its ability. If CBC/Radio-Canada is de-funded, there will have to be an alternative in order to afford those same opportunities.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you.

Mr. Vaillancourt, you want to add something.

[Denis Vaillancourt]

In the same perspective, with regard to the francophonie, Radio-Canada is essential to our identity. I will even go further. Radio-Canada and the CBC are another aspect of our national identity. Take away Radio-Canada and the CBC, and you Americanize us overnight.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you.

Mr. LeVasseur.