Finance committee  Thank you very much for inviting the Friends to appear today. We have many worthy causes appealing for your support, and I'm here to talk about those that are related insomuch as the news is what brings the plight of these various industries to Canada's attention. Last week, inv

Finance committee  Sure. Is that better?

Finance committee  It's possible someone is not on mute. In recent years, Parliament has debated how to support Canadian journalism. Many members are justifiably worried about government subsidies compromising newsrooms' perceived impartiality. However, there are other options, and today I would

Canadian Heritage committee  In the run-up to this election, we'll be active in 23 ridings. We have aspirations to be active in 23.

Canadian Heritage committee  I'd also just like to say once more that this is a strictly non-partisan effort. We are trying to show that there is a base of support for these policies and to encourage any and all parties to go after that base of support. Yes, we have views on the government's policy. We have

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, that's correct.

Canadian Heritage committee  Again, I can't speak to the editorial decisions—

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes. I can't speak to the editorial decisions of the public broadcaster. Its independence is really important to us, so I'd like to respect it. I can simply say that I think the public broadcaster is always well served to listen to Canadians. Having more resources to consult with

Canadian Heritage committee  I can't speak to—

Canadian Heritage committee  I can't speak to this journalist's journey of repentance—

Canadian Heritage committee  —but what I can say is—

Canadian Heritage committee  Okay. Within the context of the CBC, if there is a concern about bias or anything like that, it can be addressed by making both the administration and the funding independent of the whim of Parliament. This is something that we do hear from opposition parties. We hear it from go

Canadian Heritage committee  Sure. We engage in public policy research; for example, this whole issue of the tax loophole in section 19 has surfaced, in large part, due to research that we have financed. I referenced a recent Nanos poll, for example. We also paid for that. We gather our supporters together

Canadian Heritage committee  They're right across Canada in the areas where we think we have the ability to make a difference. That's a result of a combination of the polling situation and the number of people we can contact in a given place.

Canadian Heritage committee  It's public opinion polling and voter intention. I think it's something that all of you are very well familiar with. We try to find places where the races are close and where we have a large enough number of families that we think we can make a difference and be heard.