Mr. Speaker, for over a month, Canadian taxpayers have been deprived of a service to which they are entitled, quality French language broadcasting. This interruption in service has hit regions such as the Gaspe and the Magdalen Islands particularly hard, by depriving the people there of news of their community. This service, so essential to the cohesion of our regions, must be restored immediately.
Within minutes of the start of a legal 24 hour walkout on March 22, the management of Radio-Canada ordered a lockout. This has had economic repercussions on small communities.
More than two weeks ago, the Minister of Labour asked Radio-Canada to resume the negotiations interrupted after the union demonstrated on Parliament Hill.
Radio-Canada refuses to address the problems underlying the conflict, in particular job instability, which affects half of the membership of this crown corporation's communications union.
While passing no judgment on the validity of either party's position, we are calling upon the President of CBC—Radio-Canada, Robert Rabinovitch, to immediate restore this public service and to issue a clear mandate to his negotiators: to settle honourably and in completely good faith the underlying problems behind this conflict.