Mr. Speaker, I am strongly opposed to any efforts by CBC's head office to reduce CBC television presence on Prince Edward Island.
People throughout Prince Edward Island are speaking with one voice: “Keep Compass , the only locally produced television news on Prince Edward Island”.
Canada's Broadcasting Act requires the CBC to reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences while serving the special needs of those regions.
It is time for the board of directors of the CBC to understand that the government absolutely cannot stand by and watch this national institution undermine its very existence in the regions of Canada. We must maintain CBC's local staff in the regions so that they can continue to do the excellent job of reporting what is happening in those regions locally and nationally. It is an important institution in Canada.