Canadian Heritage committee  We made two recommendations: with one—and we are somewhat more generous than the committee was last year—we would like the per capita contribution to the CBC to be set at $50 rather than $40. We know that millions and millions of dollars are spent on advertising by the federal g

Canadian Heritage committee  What I am saying is that, one way or the other, when money is spent, it could always result in a sponsorship scandal or a scandal of one sort or another. We know that. However, we are saying that the large sums of money currently being spent could be better spent.

Canadian Heritage committee  A round of cuts was made last month—not to Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, but to northern Ontario and the regions. In northern Ontario, the English staff was decimated this year and the French staff was decimated last year. It is obvious that if funds are not redistributed and t

Canadian Heritage committee  I do not have the exact figure but I do know that there are 125,000 francophones living in north eastern Ontario. When you include those living in north western Ontario, there are approximately 175,000 francophones across all those communities.

Canadian Heritage committee  I am not an expert in the cuts to the CBC. However, I can tell you that, as a result of the latest cuts announced because of shrinking advertising revenues, the only public affairs program in French-speaking Ontario—a 30-minute program on Radio-Canada’s Première chaîne—was cancel

Canadian Heritage committee  I think we could start with a better distribution of the contents of the same envelope. It is vital that local media, which directly serve communities, receive a larger share. In short, media often are owned by multinationals. The problem, in the Timmins and Kirkland Lake area,

Canadian Heritage committee  Good afternoon, Chair. I am pleased to be here once again. I believe we are becoming friends. Chair, we have had the opportunity to meet and discuss this matter on a few occasions. My presentation is extremely important to local communities. You are aware that the concentration

Canadian Heritage committee  It was simply—

Canadian Heritage committee  First of all, we don't have Rogers in northern Ontario; we have Persona, and it's only in English. They focus on what we do, but they don't give us any time.

Canadian Heritage committee  That is an interesting question. The people who spoke before you gave me some food for thought. I don't understand, I must say I am astounded. I pay $54 per month and out of that I am being told that no money goes to the Société Radio-Canada, which is the francophone network I wa

Canadian Heritage committee  Before I defer to my chairman, I will give you an example. Francophones outside Quebec have a religion: the Montreal Canadians. Radio-Canada would lend its time and RDS would broadcast Montreal Canadians hockey games to francophones outside Quebec. Today, they are no longer being

Canadian Heritage committee  That is a complex issue and debate. I do not believe politicians should tell Radio-Canada what to say or what to do. I understand that. I believe that, given the fact that Radio-Canada is a Crown corporation without necessarily being state controlled, but it is state funded, we s

Canadian Heritage committee  TV drama is extremely important, specifically on the francophone side, because it is a reflection of our reality. Some Radio-Canada TV movies changed people's lives because they were a reflection of our past. I'll give the example of Séraphin, in Les belles histoires des pays d'e

Canadian Heritage committee  I share your opinion. We believe Radio-Canada has all the tools it needs to carry out its mandate, except for substantial additional funding. We do not believe that it is a ratings- or mandate-related issue. There is a real problem on the CBC side. On the CBC side, when I hear t

Canadian Heritage committee  We believe it is important to find a way to do so. How, I cannot say how, Mr. Angus, but there needs to be a way for the Société Radio-Canada to promote all francophone artists from across Canada. In Timmins, we have a theatre troupe called Les maringouins du Nord which produces