Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I am delighted to be back in my old haunt. I would also like to welcome Mr. Lacroix. He already knows what a big fan and supporter of Radio-Canada I am and have been for the past six decades. I prefer the radio. Actually, my duties and activities rarely allow me to sit in front of the TV, but my radio is always on no matter where I go. I usually listen to Radio-Canada and CBC the rest of the time.
I am well aware of your mandate, that is, connecting Canadians with their country, their community and one another. Back in 1967, when I was 20, I can remember Radio-Canada firing my enthusiasm for my country. No matter where I would travel in the country, I would always try to find a Radio-Canada station I could tune into. There was always a lot of passion.
In 1992, when Canada turned 125, Radio-Canada did not have much of a presence in the celebration.
In 2012, people on public affairs programs scoffed at the War of 1812 whenever it was mentioned. In 2012, they scoffed at it. It was as though they had no clue that that moment in history gave birth to our consciousness as a country; at that moment in time, Canadians decided they wanted to be a distinct people, separate from the Americans. Radio-Canada readily scoffed at the event. If it mattered to the evil government in Ottawa, it was, by definition, bad.
I really appreciate programs on the English network, CBC, that endeavour to promote French. Bernard St-Laurent deserved his award. Jim Corcoran deserves one as well; he helps English-speaking Canadians gain an appreciation for Canada's French music, especially music from Quebec, and he does a wonderful job.
What's more, I agree with Mr. Godin. The Montreal mindset, rather than the cross-Canadian one, that is rife all over the airwaves, even on radio stations that are not in Montreal, is a problem. The most blatant example of that is the ice storm coverage in January 1998. I listened to the radio all day and all night, and I never heard a word about St. Isidore, Ottawa or St. Albert, but I would hear all about Montreal. I asked people how they found out what was happening in their communities and they said they were listening to CFRA. The secretary at the Notre-Dame-des-Champs church told me she was listening to CFRA. That's unacceptable.
In addition, 15 years ago, I put together a thick file and I sent it to the Radio-Canada ombudsman. The file was on the terminology that was used when discussing the Canadian state and relations between the country and its various provinces. I am particularly irritated when the topic of Quebec and English Canada comes up. I have to tell you I was satisfied with the ombudsman's decision. In the end, three ombudsmen had to get involved before I got an answer. But I was satisfied, as I was with the implementation of that response for five years. Since then, however, the response has been disregarded. The same terminology is being used again. I am from St. Isidore, Ontario, and I am not an English Canadian. The people who live in Shawville, across the river, are not francophones. They are part of English Canada even though they are also Quebeckers.
In four years' time, we are going to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary, and with that in mind, we must not minimize the value of the French fact or the English fact across Canada. I have always stood up for the French language in Ontario, but now I have to stand up for the English language in Canada. On CBC, it's gotten to the point where you frequently hear announcers using American English. They don't say “lef-tenant” but rather “loo-tenant”, which is quite common on American television.
Radio-Canada, on its end, should show some language integrity, like Henri Bergeron used to. And the same goes for the English network. The fact is if we cannot manage to protect Canadian English in Canada, attempts to safeguard the French language will fall by the wayside.
I had wanted to ask you questions, but I ended up making a speech instead.