Mr. Speaker, this Liberal government will be seen as the government that presided over the death of the CBC if it fails to act quickly and decisively.
The CBC had a heart attack years ago but somebody forgot to tell the government. Continuing to fund the CBC as it is now is like embalming a corpse: you add juice to it but you know it is not going to get any better. What is needed is radical surgery. We need to repair its faltering heart and infuse it with a healthy, vigorous new life.
The Minister of Canadian Heritage has stated publicly that he is in favour of partial privatization of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. When will he act on this commitment?
Start the process now. The CBC will not recover right away but when it does it will be leaner and more competitive. It will not do all the things it used to do, but if we are decisive now the CBC will survive in some form.
The Liberal government can continue to embalm the corpse or it can privatize the CBC. What will it be?