Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present today a petition signed by my constituents. I will read a couple lines of it.
We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:
WHEREAS the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), as the national public broadcaster, plays an important role in reflecting Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions
WHEREAS, in our current media environment, public broadcasting is an essential promoter and defender of Canadian culture, in both French and English
WHEREAS Canadians should continue to have access to Canadian stories and Canadian content and media should provide vibrant and rewarding new avenues for expression by Canadian artists
WHEREAS Canada requires a broadcaster that reflects the different needs and circumstances of each official language community, including the particular needs and circumstances of English and French linguistic minorities
...
THEREFORE, we, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to maintain stable and predictable long-term core funding to the public broadcaster, including CBC Radio and Radio Canada, in support of their unique and crucial roles.