House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2011, with 50% of the vote.
Canadian Heritage May 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that the decisions made by Radio-Canada have nothing to do with the government's measures.
That being said, we are well aware of the role that Radio-Canada plays in Canadian society, and that is why, on behalf of taxpayers, we provide significant funding to Radio-Canada/CBC. It is up to Radio-Canada to decide how to run its daily operations. We have no intention of interfering in that.
Canadian Heritage May 1st, 2014
Mr. Speaker, again, I think it is sad to see the official opposition attacking those who truly value our history and our museums.
Our museums across the country operate at arm's length from the government. We are proud of what our museums are doing, and we would never attack Canadians who are prepared to support and make donations to them. We trust our museums. There is no interference and we are proud of that.
Canadian Heritage May 1st, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I am quite disturbed by what was said by the member. I think that all members in the House ought to take tremendous pride in the museums that we have here in Canada. In fact, I am very proud of the government's investment in our museums. We are in fact the only G7 country not to have cut direct funding to our museums during a global recession. We continued to allow them to operate at arm's-length. They make their own operational decisions and there has been no benefit given to any of their donors. It is sad to see the NDP attack donors.
Canadian Heritage April 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, as I said before, the decisions made and announced by CBC/Radio-Canada have nothing to do with government decisions.
Speaking of CBC/Radio-Canada and broadcasting, the corporation's president himself said that the decline in the number of viewers in specific demographic groups and lower advertising revenues caused this situation. That is why those decisions were made.
Once again, we recommend that our opposition colleagues speak directly to Hubert T. Lacroix from CBC/Radio-Canada.
Canadian Heritage April 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the role that CBC/Radio-Canada plays in Canadian society. That is why we are making a significant investment in CBC/Radio-Canada.
I think that my colleague is referring to the cuts announced by CBC/Radio-Canada. I will repeat that CBC/Radio-Canada's cuts have nothing to do with government measures. We are asking CBC/Radio-Canada to continue fulfilling its mandate under the Broadcasting Act and to produce programs, in French and in English, that all Canadians want to watch and listen to.
Canadian Heritage April 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, as I said, the government did not make any decisions. These decisions were made by CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC/Radio-Canada made these decisions as a result of the declining number of viewers and advertising revenue. It receives enough money from taxpayers to fulfill its mandate under the Broadcasting Act.
I encourage my colleague to talk to Mr. Lacroix about this.
Canadian Heritage April 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, the government has nothing to do with the decisions announced by CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC/Radio-Canada receives a lot of taxpayer-provided money and makes its own operational decisions. That is the case here.
According to the president of CBC/Radio-Canada, this situation is the result of a decline in viewers in certain demographics and a decline in advertising revenue. Once again, CBC/Radio-Canada has enough money to fulfill its mandate under the Broadcasting Act. It is up to the corporation to decide what shows it will present to Canadians in English and French.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation April 9th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat this in English. What was just said is absolutely false.
As we all know, CBC/Radio-Canada has a mandate to offer both French and English broadcasting, and that falls under the act itself.
Now, when it comes to its president's comments, with respect to declining viewership, that is one of its key challenges. When we talk about viewership, it is up to the CBC and Radio-Canada to provide viewership and programming that Canadians are interested in.
In the meantime, this government has given record funds. It has enough to deal with its mandate, and I encourage it to do so.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation April 9th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is a crown corporation that operates at arm's length from the government. It is responsible for its own day-to-day operations.
That said, according to the corporation's president, its problems stem from the declining number of viewers. CBC/Radio-Canada has enough money to fulfill its mandate under the Broadcasting Act, and it is up to that corporation to provide all Canadians, francophones and anglophones alike, with the programming they want.
Foreign Affairs April 4th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the recent comment by the Liberal leader is of great concern to this government. As the Prime Minister stated, Israel is the only country in the Middle East which has long anchored itself in the ideals of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Our government will not shy away from supporting the sole liberal democracy in the region. On this side of the House, we have led the world with a clear and principled foreign policy, one that is based on freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Whether it is in Ukraine, Israel, or the situation in Iran, we will do what is right and just, regardless of whether it is popular, convenient, or expedient.