Lost her last election, in 2006, with 34% of the vote.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, I do not think there is anyone on this side of the House who does not respect the authority and the quasi-judicial status of the CRTC.
The CRTC is an independent agency. It will make its decision, and we are going to respect that decision. I must say that we have nonetheless contributed to thoughts on this matter by setting up the committee on access to public foreign television broadcasts, chaired by Clifford Lincoln.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, first, I said, it is not an intervention with the CRTC. It is a wish more than a directive. We cannot give directives to the CRTC.
Second, if we had wanted to do so for purely political reasons, RAI would be here. This suggests that the CRTC truly is an independent agency.
That said, the CRTC consulted the public in reviewing its 1986 regulations on foreign language service and the competition there might be with a similar service provided by a Canadian company. We are waiting for the CRTC decision.
We have done our share by setting up a committee chaired by Clifford Lincoln, who has given his recommendations to us and the CRTC. However, we are waiting for the CRTC decisions and we are not giving directives. We are waiting, like the rest of the population and my Italian community, for the CRTC decision.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, the decision is before the CRTC. Since the CRTC is an independent body, we shall await the results of its consultations. The CRTC reviews nearly 1,700 applications for revocation every year. This is a colossal task, but it has 400 employees to do it well.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, first of all, Fox News is distributed on Parliament Hill through a private network, which is non-commercial and therefore not subject to CRTC regulations.
That said, the Fox News application is being considered by the CRTC. It will be examined according to the foreign ownership rules and competition with a Canadian service.
Nevertheless, I should add that all the following news services are available to the Canadian public: CBC News World, Réseau d'information, CTV News Net, LCN, Infosport, CPAC, Headline Sports, Pulse 24, CNN, CNN Headline News, Bloomberg News, BBC World—
Supply November 16th, 2004
First, Mr. Chair, that is not a promise; it is a wish. Secondly, the CRTC is looking into the question. The CRTC wants to review its regulations with respect to foreign services that compete with our Canadian industry. We should have its response by the end of December.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, I apologize, but the hon. member is wrong. All of our lawyers have told us that this decision could not be revoked by the governor in council. Now, it must be understood that the CHOI-FM case is currently before the Federal Court. Hence, we are not free to make comments about it.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, I abide by the recommendations of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This being said, we are working with my colleague in industry. I must say that this issue is not part of the program for the time being.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, to my knowledge, we have jointly signed the report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Therefore, with respect to the department of Canadian Heritage, I will refer to the report submitted by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, I will answer in 15 seconds. Both of our departments, namely the Department of Industry and the Department of Canadian Heritage, are currently drafting the act. We want to submit it to the Cabinet in 2004. My parliamentary assistant, who is in charge of the review of the Copyright Act, will gladly undertake this initiative in 2005 and bring it to completion.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, this year, we are reviewing the Canada Day program. It was not about merit, it was about the number of programs. Whether they like it or not, we will make sure that the sharing is more equitable for the provinces this year.