I wish to draw the attention of members to the 30th anniversary of CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel. CPAC has been broadcasting the debates of the House, gavel to gavel, for three decades.
CPAC was originally created in 1992 by a consortium of 27 Canadian cable companies. Its primary mandate was to broadcast the proceedings of the House of Commons to millions of homes with cable, at no cost to taxpayers.
Since then, CPAC has expanded to provide continued unfiltered coverage of House of Commons proceedings and parliamentary committees, as well as a multitude of other public affairs activities across the country.
Despite the rapidly advancing forms of social and digital communications, CPAC continues to play a key role in keeping our fellow citizens informed about the business of Parliament. CPAC has worked in close partnership with us to ensure that Canadians have a front-row view into the very heart of our democracy.
CPAC has come to play such a significant role in Canadian political life that it is truly hard to imagine that such an essential service did not always exist. Today we welcome to the gallery the members of CPAC's board of directors.
On behalf of all members of Parliament, I would like to thank them for their invaluable contribution to the Canadian democratic process.