Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Lebel and Mr. Roy. I'm pleased that you are here. It's unfortunate that we couldn't do it when you were in town. It would have cost our taxpayers much less. However, the government decided to cancel the meeting. We could have done it, it would have been done.
Before asking you some questions, I need to talk about something else. Here in Ottawa, it's a real free for all during in camera meetings. Since we aren't in camera, I will take a minute of my time to publicly read two motions I intend to present. I'm taking advantage of the fact that we are not in camera and that it's my time to speak.
I gave a notice of motion. So I wanted:
That all of the Committee’s activities be open to the public except where the Committee has the consent of at least one (1) Opposition member to hold an in camera session. This would prevent the government from dictating in camera sessions. I think that it affects my rights as a parliamentarian, and that it prevents me from working for Canadians.
In the event that we would sit in camera forever and no longer be able to discuss anything before the general public, I propose this motion. So at least the public will know that we do not want to work in camera and that we want to be transparent.
The second motion I'm giving notice about sets out:
That the Committee invite the president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, Hubert T. Lacroix, to a public, televised two-hour meeting on February 15, 2012, given the importance of the CBC/Radio-Canada to the vitality of official language minority communities.
Mr. Chair, the government always boasts about wanting to keep the CBC and about being strong defenders of our public radio. Mr. Menegakis always speaks highly of the CBC, but Mr. Dean Del Mastro, the Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary, said to one committee:
...it's time that the Canadian government looks at it and says maybe it's time we get out of the broadcasting business and get into investing more money into content? We invest over a billion government dollars, as you know, into a stage, when in fact the private sector would not only make use of that stage....
Given the direction the government is taking, people from the CBC must be brought in and we need to get explanations.
I'm sorry for taking your time. Now, we will go directly to the questions I have for you.
To your knowledge, is the Government of Saskatchewan doing a poor job of managing the financial contribution of the Government of Canada? Are there irregularities or negligence? If so, what are they?