House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2011, with 50% of the vote.
CBC/Radio-Canada November 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, once again, CBC operates at arm's length from this government.
When it comes to respecting both official languages, as the president, Hubert Lacroix, said, that is clearly part of the public broadcaster's DNA.
We will continue to make a significant investment—$1.1 billion—in CBC, which will have to prove that it is fulfilling its mandate under the Broadcasting Act.
CBC/Radio-Canada November 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely ashamed of what was just said with regards to some of the members of that board. These are volunteers who come forward to enter into a competition, which is based on merit, and they have the competencies that are required.
In fact, I will cite the competencies of one of the board members from Quebec. Pierre Gingras was the mayor for Blainville from 1993 to 2005, and he brings a vast wealth of experience in both economic development and business administration.
Shame on that member for insulting his competencies.
CBC/Radio-Canada November 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, CBC makes its own decisions independently of the government.
Let us talk about the appointments our government made. They were made as part of a rigorous and transparent process. We try to find the most competent candidates to meet the requirements of these positions. Our government never interferes with the democratic rights of board members. It is false to suggest that we take away their votes and their right to make donations to any party they want.
Canadian Heritage November 4th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, as we have said time and time again, arts and culture define who we are as Canadians. We are proud to support the creation, presentation, publication and dissemination of arts and culture throughout the country. In fact, we are the only G7 country that did not reduce direct funding to artists during the global economic recession. We continue to supports the arts and culture.
CBC/Radio-Canada November 4th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, there are a number of issues with what the hon. member just said. Let us talk about what the hon. member just said about a program called Hard.
Although our government does not control CBC/Radio-Canada's programming, the explicit sexual nature of this program in particular, which was available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and accessible to children, raised concerns not only in our government, but also at Radio-Canada. In this particular case, the CRTC has rules that were not followed and Radio-Canada decided to pull that show.
CBC/Radio-Canada November 4th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question, but his comments were made completely out of context.
CBC is fully responsible for its own operational decisions. As far as CBC/Radio Canada's decisions are concerned, again, two measures were mentioned in the papers. They talk about a well-known sovereignist in the country who was criticized. The entire country was there for that discussion and CBC admitted that it was wrong. We support them, but this is their decision.
CBC/Radio-Canada October 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, as the president of the CBC said himself, the decline in the number of viewers in certain demographics and lower advertising revenues are what have caused this situation at the CBC.
Once again, it is up to the CBC to figure out what programming Canadians want in French and English. It has enough taxpayers' money to fulfill its mandate under the Broadcasting Act.
Canadian Heritage October 27th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I believe my colleague is referring to the current advertising campaign for the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference and the Quebec Conference.
I do not understand why the Liberals do not want to celebrate these two conferences that are so important for our country and for all Canadians.
We are approaching the 150th anniversary of our country and we will continue to plan this celebration. However, at the same time, we will be celebrating the Quebec Conference and the Charlottetown Conference with a great deal of pride.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation October 21st, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what I just said. In fact, CBC has a mandate that it must satisfy. All Canadians, and this government, expect the CBC to satisfy that mandate. In fact, the Official Languages Act and the Broadcasting Act impose that obligation on the CBC.
Listen to what our president of the CBC had to say about satisfying his mandate. He said the following: “Our commitment to the regions is also reflected in our new CRTC conditions of licence”, and, “Our conditions of licence require us to hold consultations with francophone minority communities”.
They will, according to the president, follow that obligation, and we intend to support that.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation October 21st, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I understand the important role that the CBC plays not only in official language minority communities, but also in remote areas.
Our government and all Canadians expect the CBC to fulfill its mandate to provide quality programming to those communities. However, the Ontario and Quebec ministers should be aware that the CRTC already has the authority to ensure that the CBC carries out its mandate under the law. It is up to the CBC to offer this programming and satisfy its mandate.