Evidence of meeting #69 for Official Languages in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was crtc.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Conservative
Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Blais, Mr. Hutton, thank you for joining us.
If I may, I would like to talk about community radio. Naturally, I greatly appreciate CRTC's decision with respect to CJFO. I read the transcript of all the evidence and all the questions that the CRTC had for the CJFO promoter when they made the first request. I felt that the CRTC was particularly hostile toward the promoter. That is why I took the rather unusual step of insisting that the government ask the CRTC to go back to the drawing board.
Actually, the government has set a precedent by asking the CRTC to go back to the drawing board. No other government had done it before. Fortunately, the CRTC did its homework the second time around. However, when francophones in Toronto needed the service, the CRTC had the same attitude it had toward francophones in Ottawa.
There are over 100,000 francophones in Toronto who are living in an even more pronounced minority situation than the francophones in the national capital region. I am wondering how we could make it our national objective to increase our efforts and to help official language minority communities better assert themselves, be it in Chicoutimi, Toronto, Red Deer or Trois-Pistoles. I do not have a lot of evidence showing me that the CRTC is open to that. The only evidence I have is the transcript of the testimony and CRTC's questions to the promoter of the Ottawa francophone community radio, CJFO, which I have carefully read.
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
I know that people are disappointed when they don't get the results they want...
February 28th, 2013 / 4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON
Mr. Chair, I understand this concept very well. I am not talking about an individual promoter. I am talking about the principle of official languages in general. It is not about a western music radio channel, a sports radio channel or an international news radio channel. We are talking about community radio for an official language minority community. This is not rocket science.
Mr. Blais, given your experience at the Department of Canadian Heritage, the department most concerned about this issue, I don't understand why I have to explain this to you.
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
I was not with the CRTC at the time.
Conservative
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
You said there was hostility. I wasn't there, and I don't recall seeing that in the transcripts. I have been on the job since June, and I can tell you that much of the two-week-long CBC/Radio-Canada hearings, for example, was spent listening to the communities carefully and respectfully.
As for community radio around the country, some groups are looking to set up those systems. Our door is open. We have a team dedicated to helping smaller players put together their application properly. It's a competitive process, and sometimes community radio doesn't have the same resources to put it on equal footing. We make an effort because one of the working group's objectives is to provide applicants with the information and guidance they need to put together an effective application. I have no hostility towards the communities.
Conservative
Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON
Did the French-language radio proponent in Toronto do a poor job on their application?
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
I don't know. I know there was an appeal to cabinet.
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
And cabinet decided, as you will see from the order, that under Part VII of the Official Languages Act, it was not necessary to grant that frequency to—
Conservative
Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON
Mr. Chair, may I move on to another question? I'd like to discuss the televising of House of Commons proceedings.
I live in Ottawa's east end. I am a Rogers customer. I can watch the House proceedings on channel 24, but only in English. When an opposition member and a minister are having a debate entirely in French, I get only the interpretation. The basic service is in English. I would think we could have access to the service in French. Here, in the House of Commons, it's channel 48. Why not provide access to the floor in the basic service? Whether the debates are in English or French, you listen to what is said on the floor, and if someone wants to watch the proceedings in a specific language, it would be an extra service. The floor should be the basic service.
Conservative
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
I know we're short on time.
Actually, there's a good chance that the service is already available. You may need to use a tuner for your cable service or television. We could discuss it later.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Good afternoon, gentlemen.
In your 2011-14 action plan for implementing section 41, we see that the CRTC is going to create lasting changes in its organizational culture. That means training for employees and managers on the Official Languages Act. Does that also apply to the councillors?
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Do you mean the commissioners?
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
I mention it because, in French, it's a council, so they are called councillors.
In English, we're the commission and we're commissioners.
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
What matters is what we're doing. A systematic part of all decision making by the commission is what we call the official languages lens. When staff make a recommendation to the commissioners, we always look at it through a Part VII lens, if you will. As you know, we are a group of decision makers. We make virtually all of our decisions as a group. To a large extent, we represent the diversity of Canada. I can tell you without hesitation that the commissioners' cooperative approach to these applications ensures tremendous consideration of the various realities.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
The fact that organizational change was mentioned means that something wasn't working. What kind of financial resources have you allocated to implementing this official languages action plan?
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Mr. Hutton is the official languages champion, so he may be able to provide some figures. But since we don't divvy things up that way or put a cap on the budget—
