Finance committee  CBC/Radio-Canada should have a specific mission different from that of other private broadcasters when it comes to things like cultural content, but also local and regional content. For instance, BBC is one of the United Kingdom's cultural drivers. We have noticed that, since the latest cuts, CBC/Radio-Canada has offloaded a number of aspects of its mandate and its mission.

Finance committee  The $150 million promised by the Liberal government during the last election campaign is actually in line with the latest cuts of $115 million, as well as the loss of the Local Programming Improvement Fund. That fund was used directly by CBC/Radio-Canada and helped the broadcaster produce regional newscasts.

Finance committee  The action plan that was established by CBC/Radio-Canada's current management is ongoing. The number of positions is expected to be reduced again by about 1,500. We cannot continue on this path. Investments absolutely have to be made this year in order to stop the haemorrhaging and enable CBC/Radio-Canada to keep existing and to continue its work.

Finance committee  On behalf of the Tous amis de Radio-Canada organization, I'd like to thank the committee for the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on funding for Canada's public broadcaster. Established by the Syndicat des communications de Radio-Canada and supported by the CSN and the FNC, Tous amis de Radio-Canada is appearing before the committee as a member of Canadian civil society and as a spokesperson for its members.