Madam Speaker, those are very interesting questions.
When my grandmother talked about her sometimes rowdy grandsons, she would say that we were all smart enough to start a fire, but not smart enough to put it out. When I hear the Conservative leader say that he is going to get rid of the CBC but protect Radio-Canada, it sounds a bit like what my grandmother used to say. It reminds me a little of that. It is impossible.
It is impossible, and just about everyone who has taken the trouble of looking into the matter can vouch for that. It is impossible to make cuts to the CBC without doing serious harm to Radio-Canada. Ultimately, the cost of avoiding any damage at all would be almost as high as maintaining Radio-Canada's services for Canada's entire population.
As for the second question, perhaps Radio-Canada's original productions and shows are more successful. Perhaps Radio-Canada is more of a mainstay among Quebec's news and culture consumers than the CBC is in the rest of Canada. However, the CBC does have a number of very successful platforms. The CBC's online platforms are strong performers. The television side may be struggling a little, but the radio side is putting out excellent programs.
Yes, it is still an essential service for Canadians living in remote regions, like the northern B.C. region my colleague represents. Everyone has the right to have access to this service, to quality service. As far as the Conservative leader's rhetoric on defunding CBC/Radio‑Canada is concerned, I am afraid he will make good on his threats. However, it is going to blow up in his face because Canadians will never let something like that happen.