Canadian Heritage committee  Not to my knowledge, and certainly not to the extent that we do. Again, the premise of our initiative is that we can't have Canadians rely simply on the judgment of CBC journalists as to whether or not we're doing well. In that sense, we're quite happy to outsource it, so to speak, and to get outside views to how we're doing.

Canadian Heritage committee  I usually have an incredibly careful memory of these things, but I do not.

Canadian Heritage committee  No.

Canadian Heritage committee  The selection process for the hiring of any staff, including reporters, is quite rigorous. When a position is open we post it, it's publicly known, people compete for it, there are various processes of elimination, and then there's a short list. There's usually a panel of four or five of our senior people who are then empowered to choose the best person.

Canadian Heritage committee  Is this...? Yes.

Canadian Heritage committee  It's hard to deal with specifics when I don't know the details of those specifics, but this whole thing perplexes me. We're quite aggressive within CBC and Radio-Canada in providing responses to people who either send inquiries or complaints. In a sense, that's the first line of response, from our program element.

Canadian Heritage committee  The answer is yes. Again, this is part of our strategy to connect with Canadians in a far deeper way, wherever they happen to be. I think you're right. So many Canadians now across our country--not only in small towns and cities, but certainly there--have created a network of community media that is significant.

Canadian Heritage committee  I think what we're becoming more and more aware of is the need for us to further decentralize our news and current affairs operation in a way that empowers people to contribute to our various programs and our services and our networks in a way that isn't dependent on larger centres like Toronto or Montreal.

Canadian Heritage committee  I appreciate your point; I accept your point. Actually, the answer to your question is yes, we will be doing that. I think one of the reflections of today's media environment is the fact that our audiences are everywhere at all times; no longer are they restricted to one time slot or one medium or one platform.

Canadian Heritage committee  I think it's so successful on the radio side just because it really speaks to a lot of issues and concerns that are important across the country. I would challenge, with respect, your characterization of television. Television is not simply the supper hour program at six o'clock; television is The National, television is the fifth estate, television is CBC Newsworld.

Canadian Heritage committee  I don't have enough detailed legal knowledge of the CanWest initiative, but in general terms I think there's been a long-standing determination within CBC/Radio-Canada to create a firewall between its news and current affairs operations and advertising influences. I think that has been, quite frankly, over the years sometimes difficult to maintain.

Canadian Heritage committee  I think the answer is in different ways. Again, in reference to our earlier discussion, I think providing a news and current affairs service that's not unduly influenced by commercial and advertising concerns is very important in a democracy. I think there are many instances, both in Canada and the United States, where the commercial advertising influences within the media have had a material impact on the kinds of editorial choices that viewers and listeners are exposed to, and I think that's negative.

Canadian Heritage committee  If I could correct you, Terry Milewski did not get the bounce. He's still an incredibly--

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, but he's still an incredibly valuable reporter for CBC news. You characterized the challenge accurately. I don't think there's any organization, really, that was as conscious of the BBC scandal as CBC/Radio-Canada was. We really learned from that, both in terms of how the BBC approached the issue and how the government responded, imagining how that same situation could play itself in Canada.

Canadian Heritage committee  I think the answer is yes. I think it's ludicrous using any standard of life that this organization goes from year to year without a real sense of its funding. That has a ripple effect through the organization. Quite frankly, it does affect the news and current affairs part of the CBC, which is so important.