Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join the debate on Bill S-7 which would amend the Broadcasting Act. It has been set up to allow the CRTC to set out regulations outlining standards for the awarding of costs. In particular it would enable the commission to award and tax costs among the interveners who appear before it.
Sections 56 and 57 of the current Telecommunications Act already authorize the CRTC to award various costs to organizations or individuals who take part in telecommunications proceedings. This unfortunately is not the case for Canadian interveners who wish to contribute to other democratic processes, namely broadcasting proceedings. I am convinced that it is about time the CRTC and the Canadian broadcasting system enjoyed the same prerogatives to guarantee access to all interveners who wish to take part in the process.
It is essential to remind the House that the bill's underlying principles of justice and balance of legislative powers for all Canadians are fully supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage. It is not a new issue. A number of public interest groups, such as the Consumers' Association of Canada and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, have on many occasions raised the imbalance between the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act.
Harmonizing the two acts would not only allow Canadian consumers and interest groups to present relevant research and significant elements before the CRTC, but it would also give all Canadians the opportunity to be represented and heard by the commission when it makes broadcasting decisions that affect them directly.
It is important to draw the attention of the House to the impression concerned Canadians have of the current situation. They feel there is quite a striking contrast between the considerable financial resources of large media companies and the limited resources of individuals and of course public interest groups. Such a situation must not be tolerated in a democratic society.
It is completely logical to encourage Canadians to take part in CRTC decisions since the broadcasting system makes use of a public resource. Clearly neither the CRTC nor Canadians benefit from the inability of interveners to present well-documented briefs.
If adopted, Bill S-7 would allow individuals and public interest groups who are or could be directly impacted to apply for costs in order to help them participate in proceedings in a meaningful way. Unfortunately very often it is the matter of money that prevents Canadians from accessing such proceedings.
As we make the transition to an innovative economy and move from an industrial to a knowledge based economy, this is having an impact on Canadians' expectations of government and the role of government. In a democratic society it is only fitting that citizens are encouraged to reflect, to participate and to respond to decisions made by commissioners at the CRTC and the corporations who appear before it. After all, the broadcasting system makes use of a public resource and so it helps Canadians through its programs to connect with one another, to connect with their history and their country.
The reality of convergence comes up time and again in the communications industry. The convergence of technologies is a key dimension of the debate. More and more the regulatory issues and concerns with which the CRTC must grapple are falling under the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act and are affecting a wide section of Canadian society.
Involving citizens in decisions which affect them is a rational approach in an increasingly complex communications environment. As the commission wrestles with these matters, one way of forming its decisions is to help defray the costs of interveners who participate. Converging technologies are indeed blurring the lines between telecommunications and broadcasting which were once very separate and distinct. It is now time to standardize the rules for interveners and for the funding that governs those industries.
In the past, in cases where the CRTC conducted proceedings under the Telecommunications Act and the Broadcasting Act, such as the new media hearing, the CRTC awarded costs for interventions only to the extent that they touched upon telecommunications aspects.
As further technological interventions blur the lines, it will be more and more difficult to weigh the contribution of an intervention according to its impact on telecommunications versus broadcasting.
During the hearings of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, the CRTC itself spoke in favour of harmonizing these rules and indicated that it was indeed prepared to make the required changes through a public hearing.
Defining the criteria for such a system to award costs of broadcasting will not be easy for the CRTC as there are many differences between the proceedings of these two industries. Telecommunications proceedings focus essentially on issues involving rate structures while broadcasting proceedings usually deal with a wide variety of issues. The latter occur much more frequently and involve many more participants, for example, radio and TV stations, pay and specialized service, cable TV, satellite, wireless and networks. These proceedings also involve social as well as economic issues.
It is indeed very positive to hear the general support one hears on both sides of the House, and that must indicate very good legislation.