Canadian Heritage committee  They don't get directing funding from the CTF for their cable channels. That's a redistribution of their own benefits. And part of their requirement to the CRTC is to maintain that cable fund. So this wouldn't affect your community cable channel at all.

Canadian Heritage committee  Well, I'm not sure who or what an average Canadian is. If you're saying that for significant chunks of the Canadian population there is not interest in Canadian drama, for example, and perhaps sports is where you get your Canadian culture, then I would say perhaps there's not much interest for that person, but by the same token, does this person have children?

Canadian Heritage committee  I'm saying that if the Canadian Television Fund didn't exist, the size and the quality.... Why should an average Canadian care about this? Would an average Canadian care about the rules on how the money is disseminated? Probably not. But I would suggest to you that the average Canadian probably does care about the results on the television set.

Canadian Heritage committee  Oh, yes, absolutely. It's probably not a bad idea. Maybe you have a future as a television programmer. The key issue is whether or not that kind of show requires public money in order to complete its financing. And as Mr. Cardin pointed out, most of this stuff can be funded by the industry itself through pre-sales, etc.

Canadian Heritage committee  If I understood the Shaw and the Vidéotron positions, they did want to withdraw their money. In its case, Vidéotron had a completely different approach and different structure for a fund that they would administer, and there was at least one dissenting opinion from a CRTC commissioner endorsing that world view within the Quebec context.

Canadian Heritage committee  That's correct.

Canadian Heritage committee  That's correct.

Canadian Heritage committee  The specific concern you are referring to is their desire to make money off their Canadian content?

Canadian Heritage committee  Well, I would say that's not factually correct, having been the private broadcasters' representative on the board on five separate occasions over the last ten years. We certainly had a voice. The CAB has four representatives on the board. They are the voice of the private broadcasters in Canada.

Canadian Heritage committee  Historical factors come into play there. First, the 50% figure varied greatly depending on the envelope and the genre. It was over 50% for drama. At one stage, CBC, in English Canada, became less interested in children's productions. Valerie was right when she said that, in some cases, it was more than 50%, but the percentage was not necessarily the same right across the board.

Canadian Heritage committee  What we're really talking about is the percentage of money the BDUs will be contributing to the CTF every year. Based on measurement in the last few years, there has been an anticipated growth of about 7%. Every year there are more satellite customers and more cable customers and we get a percentage of that, and that is what we mean by growth.

Canadian Heritage committee  It is very difficult for me to comment on results that are different from these. But I can say that, in my opinion, the entire process, including the results, has been well thought out. A lot of thought has gone into the document. Of the 11 recommendations, there are perhaps two or three that we have questions about, and even there, they are about small details.

Canadian Heritage committee  Again, I think it comes down to structure and how the heritage minister responds to the CRTC recommendations. What I've tried to suggest today is that there's a certain logical flow that comes from accepting the recommendation that there be two completely separate funds. I think at that point Heritage is accepting the responsibility.

Canadian Heritage committee  I really believe it's up to this parliamentary committee to decide the appropriate time and the appropriateness of your motions. I simply want to state for the record that whatever the Ministry of Heritage decides, we will implement. Even if it comes to my overseeing the dissolution of this board and my own position, if that is the decision of the Minister of Heritage in response to the CRTC, we will do that.

Canadian Heritage committee  That is my understanding, yes.