Michel Dupuy

[Cultural Policy, May 18th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the decision to delist CMT was made by the CRTC pursuant to a long-standing CRTC policy. When CMT entered the Canadian market it was aware of the CRTC policy that it could be de-listed if a competitive Canadian service so requested. That is the rule of the game.

The follow up is naturally in the hands of the American authorities concerned. They have threatened retaliation. The minister of commerce and foreign trade has indicated that the letter from the secretary of state's Mr. Kantor received by him will be replied to in due course. However, the policy is clear.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, May 18th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I take note of the allegations of our colleague and will give her the same answer I gave earlier. I will look into it and answer her questions.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, May 18th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, there was of course an intervention by the courts. I will have to look carefully at what was decided. Eventually the transaction will have to be confirmed by an order of the governor in council. When we come to that point, I shall be pleased to answer the question.

[Film Industry, May 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy that our colleague is interested in this matter. Now she understands why the Minister of Canadian Heritage wants a policy on the film industry supporting the interests of the industry in Canada.

There are a number of ways to go about it. This is in fact what I am looking at with representatives of the Canadian industry and with the American major film companies and independents.

[Film Industry, May 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted that we have such a strong and imaginative individual, with an eye for change, at the helm of Telefilm Canada. My discussions with the major American companies, however, did not cover this particular point. They were much more general in nature.

[Arts And Culture, May 11th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I see that I had it right.

She also wants to get rid of programs supporting Canadian culture and return it to the private sector in the hopes that one day all of Canada will be under American culture.

As to her allegations concerning trips to Cannes, she does not seem to be aware that the Cannes festival is the greatest marketplace where films are traded. If she is for the private sector, she should be concerned that Canadian products are properly marketed in that most important marketplace.

[Arts And Culture, May 11th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, let me first dispose of the cultural initiative program. I know where the member is coming from. She wants the CBC to be privatized.

[Arts And Culture, May 11th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I would rather our hon. colleague specify which programs she finds so despicable. Some of these programs are carried out in Ontario, a part of the country which is represented by Liberals. In addition, some of the projects my department contributes to are funded jointly by the federal government and the provincial government, which, in this case, cannot be mistaken for a Liberal government.

Instead of making unsubstantiated allegations, I think that she should take a closer look at which programs are approved on their own merits and funded through the grants and contributions allocated to my department.

[Charles R. Bronfman Foundation, May 9th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the government's support is based on only one thing: the quality of the product they have put on the screen.

[Charles R. Bronfman Foundation, May 9th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am the Minister of Canadian Heritage and proud to be. I am interested in Canadian heritage. When a group is prepared to help put our heritage in a historical context, I support it. This Bronfman Foundation project is a magnificent one, but clearly of no interest to our colleagues. These vignettes have done a lot of good in teaching people about the history of Quebec and of the rest of Canada.