Well, of course I agree with everything that Mr. Théberge and Ms. Morin have said thus far.
I would add, or rather emphasize, an extremely important aspect of the government's role and duty to support community media. It is something Mr. Théberge mentioned in his presentation: social cohesion.
Our society is being transformed with the arrival of many newcomers. Having been a newcomer myself, about twenty years ago, I can say that local media play an absolutely essential role in helping newcomers adapt to the new society to which they belong, and also in developing a sense of shared identity that we want to have with other francophones here. The community media are really the only ones that can help us in that way.
As to the economic and budget considerations, our colleagues from the APF and the ARC du Canada will be appearing before you in two days. They will no doubt go into great depth about their plans and suggestions for strengthening financial support.
To answer Mr. Samson though, I would say yes, we definitely need that funding. It is essential for the development of our media.