Maka Kotto

[Canada Council for the Arts, October 25th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Arts Coalition, which represents a broad range of artists and organizations, is calling on the Liberal government to increase annual funding for the Canada Council for the Arts to $300 million, an increase equivalent to $5 per person.

Does the Minister of Canadian Heritage intend to grant the coalition's request? This would represent an increase in the income of artists, crafts people and cultural workers, thereby minimally improving the miserable and precarious conditions in which many of them live.

[Public Library Week in Quebec, October 20th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec is celebrating its seventh public library week until October 22.

A magical kingdom where our imaginations run wild, where mythic tales and brilliant ideas abound, where the men and women who have invented humanity live on thousands of pages, public libraries are more than places providing books and knowledge; they are places for sharing ideas and making discoveries, opening a window into arts and culture, and a window on the world.

The Bloc Québécois invites Quebeckers to visit our libraries this week and discover the talented writers born from the diversity within Quebec and elsewhere. This is an excellent opportunity to once again ask the federal government, which cares little about creators, to increase the Canada Council's budget to $300 million, abolish the GST on books, give creators a tax exemption on public lending rights and royalties, as Quebec has already done.

I say to all Quebeckers, happy public library week and happy reading.

[Broadcasting, September 28th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, after having accepted the CRTC's decision to grant two satellite radio licences, even if this decision makes Quebec and Canadian culture almost non-existent, the government is preparing to amend its policy in order to authorize the use of American satellites for broadcasting.

Why did the Minister of Canadian Heritage not impose a moratorium in this regard until the means could be found to drastically improve the francophone and Canadian content of these new media?

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, September 26th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Canadian Heritage realize that the outrageous increase in precarious employment the CBC has in mind will, in the short term, threaten journalistic independence and the very principle of the public's fundamental right to objective and quality information?

[Broadcasting, June 23rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, as I said the other day, enough sophistry.

I have one thing to say. The proverb “silence is consent” means, according to the dictionary, that you agree if you raise no objections.

Are we to understand from the silence or inaction of the Minister of Canadian Heritage in this file that she agrees with the CRTC's decision? If so, let her say it.

[Broadcasting, June 23rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, calmly and with all due respect, I will say that I think the inaction of the Minister of Canadian Heritage with regard to satellite radio is cause for concern. She says she is waiting for groups to appeal the CRTC's decision, when she has the authority to act, but refuses to.

How can the minister defend her position to ADISQ or the Union des artistes, which are concerned, and rightfully so, about this CRTC decision that, once again, threatens the francophone community?

[Broadcasting, June 21st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I will read an excerpt from the Broadcasting Act. It states:

Where the Commission makes a decision to issue, amend or renew a licence, the Governor in Council may...on, on petition in writing...or on the Governor in Council's own motion, by order, set aside the decision or refer the decision back to the Commission for reconsideration and hearing of the matter by the Commission.

Why does the minister maintain that she needs to wait for certain groups to appeal before she acts, when the legislation clearly stipulates that she may do so on her own initiative?

[Broadcasting, June 21st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, if I understood the Minister of Canadian Heritage correctly yesterday, she said she cannot be both judge and jury, that she cannot act immediately, that she cannot appeal the CRTC decision on subscription radio before certain groups appeal the decision themselves.

Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage assure me that her words, as I have reproduced them, are a clear reflection of her thinking on the recent CRTC decision on subscription radio?

[Broadcasting, June 20th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, this is a golden opportunity in broadcasting, an outstanding opportunity to protect cultural diversity.

Will the minister admit that the 2.5% share for French language satellite radio is clearly insufficient? Will she do everything in her power to correct this situation?

[Broadcasting, June 20th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, enough sophistry. The decisions made today will define the way subscription radio is regulated for decades to come. So it is fundamental and vital that the government take the time needed to make the right decision.

Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage, in all transparency, grant the request of Quebec's culture minister, Lyne Beauchamp? She wants the federal government to do whatever it takes to better protect French content on subscription radio.