CHPC Committee Report

Current Situation

The origins of what is now known as CBC/Radio-Canada date back to 1929 and the Report of the Royal Commission on Broadcasting (the Aird Commission). The Commission noted that the majority of the radio broadcasts that Canadians listened to came from the United States and worried that this would tend to inculcate young people with non-Canadian ideals and viewpoints. The Aird Commission also recognised broadcasting's immense educational and informational potential and its ability to contribute to a shared sense of national identity. The Commission therefore recommended setting up a national public broadcasting service that had the necessary resources to create truly Canadian content. Shortly after that, in 1936, Parliament passed legislation creating CBC/Radio-Canada.

Today, CBC/Radio-Canada offers news, information, entertainment and sports programmes through 28 different services. It operates two programming services, one in French and one in English, which also broadcasts in eight Aboriginal languages. It offers this range of services through seven television networks, six radio networks and platforms such as Internet, satellite radio, podcasting, and WAP and SMS wireless messaging services.[5] Radio Canada International (RCI) produces radio programming in nine languages for the international market. The Internet radio service RCI Viva is broadcast in eight languages and its target audience is aspiring immigrants and new arrivals.

CBC/Radio-Canada programmes are distributed by satellite and by a microwave network and landlines to 105 owned stations and 1,243 rebroadcasters belonging to the Corporation, as well as 17 private affiliated stations and 249 affiliated or community rebroadcasters. Table 1 shows CBC/Radio-Canada's French-language and English-language presence on radio and television in Canada.

Source: Data provided by CBC/Radio-Canada.

In January 2000, the CRTC renewed, for a seven-year term, the licences for French-language[6] and English-language[7] television and radio of CBC/Radio-Canada, the majority of CBC/Radio-Canada-operated television stations and those of Newsworld and the Réseau de l'information (RDI).[8] During the review of the applications to renew the CBC/Radio-Canada licences, hundreds of citizens across the country made presentations to the CRTC. The licences of CBC/Radio-Canada's main broadcasting services expired on August 31, 2007. However, these licences were extended for a year to allow the CRTC to conduct a review of its television policy. The upcoming renewal, which could happen within the next year, will be a crucial exercise for CBC/Radio-Canada. It will be a unique opportunity for the CRTC to examine all its plans and strategies for the next seven years and to learn about the broadcasts and services the Corporation will be offering Canadians and about how it plans to achieve its objectives.

As Florian Sauvageau noted in his presentation of May 3, 2007, the radio and television services have evolved in very different ways. When audiences turn their television or radio on to the public broadcaster, they must be able to tell right away that it is not to a commercial channel. That quickly becomes clear on the radio; it is less obvious in the case of television.[9]

CBC/Radio-Canada's English-language television must be as much of an alternative to the private networks as is its French-language television. Being an alternative to the private networks does not mean that public television must be elitist. Distinctive television must be addressed to everyone, because all taxpayers pay for this television. All genres must be present on public television: variety shows, news and information programmes, drama, children's programming, sports. However, what is equally important is that every genre must be treated differently on public television.[10]

We are asking CBC/Radio-Canada to be original, of high quality and innovative, and to represent the reality of all Canadians living in this immense land, and in many languages. There is absolutely no doubt that we must always bear in mind what a colossal task it is for our public broadcaster to satisfy these demands.

The English-language and French-language television services face different challenges as a result of their respective situations, their needs and the characteristics of their audiences. The two services have neither the same strengths nor the same weaknesses. For example, English television's challenge is that audience ratings are not high enough and some people may, at a given point, decide it is a marginal network.

Nevertheless, there are things that the two networks can learn from each other. For many years, the English and French services have operated separately and have had different management and programming structures. Mr. Robert Rabinovitch explained to the Committee in March 2007 that $10 million were spent on cross-cultural programming, or programming between French and English, between radio and TV.[11]

Despite the emergence of new broadcasting platforms, television remains one of Canadians' favourite leisure activities. Nonetheless, according to the most recent Broadcasting Policy Monitoring Report, average weekly viewing for people aged 2 and up was 27.6 hours in 2005-2006, a decrease of one hour since 2002-2003.[12]

Among the suggestions we heard was that CBC/Radio-Canada look at other public broadcasters for inspiration, especially the BBC. However, it is important to be careful when comparing public broadcasters. They operate over areas of different size and respond to different audiences. Nor are the funding models always comparable. With a territory of 10 million square kilometres, which extends 5,514 kilometres east to west and 4,634 kilometres north to south, and a very culturally and linguistically diversified population, the challenges facing CBC/Radio-Canada are, to say the least, unique.

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French-language Television and Radio Services

CBC/Radio-Canada provides two radio services in each of the country's two official languages. On the French-language side, Première Chaîne offers primarily news and public affairs programming. Espace musique is a music channel that broadcasts jazz, classical music, French-language songs, world music and emerging music, without ads.

The CBC/Radio-Canada's French-language radio is often the only Francophone radio presence in some regions of Canada.

I think radio plays a particularly important role, and in the five months since I have been Commissioner, I have been very struck by the degree to which local Radio-Canada programming across the country is very vigilant in following the news that affects their listeners.

Graham Fraser, Commissioner of Official Languages, March 20, 2007.

 

* Espace Musique replaced the Chaîne Culturelle in 2003.

Source: CBC/Radio-Canada Annual Reports and brief presented by the Corporation, March 22, 2007.

For over 40 years, the CBC/Radio-Canada's French-language television has been brilliant and has made a unique and incalculable contribution to Quebec's social, cultural and political life.

Figure 2 shows the audience share of Canadian French-language television services between 1993 and 2004. According to the BBM surveys compiled by the CRTC, CBC/Radio-Canada's audience share declined by 6.1 percentage points in the period from 1993 to 2004. French-language pay and specialised channels' share increased by 11.2 percentage points during the same period.

Source: Broadcast Policy Monitoring Report 2005, p. 35.

The French-language television network consists of eight stations owned and operated by the CBC/ Radio-Canada and five affiliated stations. There are also over 200 rebroadcasters that allow it to reach 99% of the Francophone viewers in Canada.

Despite the drop in viewing share since the fragmentation of audiences, CBC/Radio-Canada's French-language television still pulls in impressive audiences. As the CRTC's representatives said during their appearance, "Quebeckers and French Canadians seek out a product which is in their image far more so than English-speaking Canadians do. Their market may be smaller, which in and of itself involves challenges, but this same market supports Francophone television and broadcasters."[13]

The various witnesses agreed that French-language television is working well, which does not mean that it is not facing serious challenges. CBC/Radio-Canada's French-language network has seen its audience share decline for a decade now, thanks to the multiplication of channels and satellite broadcasting. The multiplication of channels over the past 20 years has completely transformed the broadcasting landscape.  The SRC now competes for audience share with specialised channels.

It is often said that English-language television doesn't operate as well, which suggests that French-language television has no problems. In our view, that idea is false.

Société des auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma, May 25, 2007, 1440.

The success of CBC/Radio-Canada's French-language television is a model and a source of inspiration. It made a name for itself by offering viewers high-quality and diversified programming in which they saw themselves reflected. Quebec's creators and artists found public television to be an exceptional stimulant. The small screen gave them new opportunities to express themselves and an unequalled window on the world. The success of TV in Quebec is the result of our Crown Corporation's commitment.

Committee's Position

CBC/Radio-Canada's French-language television must maintain the levels of excellence it has attained. The CRTC must ensure that suppliers of direct broadcast by satellite services distribute the signals of all the local CBC/Radio-Canada television stations. In some regions, cable operators have moved the French-language television channels to the higher service distribution numbers, which makes access to these channels more expensive. This situation is of concern to the Commissioner of Official Languages.[14]

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English-language Radio and Television Services

On the Anglophone side, Radio One is an advertising-free, English-language radio network that broadcasts local, national and international news and current affairs and general interest programmes. Radio 2 is an English-language network that presents Canada's musical diversity, including classical music, jazz and other musical genres for adult audiences, without ads.

The distinctive character of the CBC/Radio-Canada's English-language radio is clear in the first few seconds. Nor does the radio's Canadian character pose a problem. The content is clearly different from that of private channels. The absence of advertising contributes to this distinctiveness.

** The lockout of the Canadian Media Guild, outside Quebec and Moncton, caused a drop in audience share.

Source: CBC/Radio-Canada Annual Report and Brief presented by the Corporation, March 22, 2007.

Radio has proved a better model than television thus far for representing Canada's regional diversity. According to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), both English-language and French-language radio services represent models of what CBC/Radio-Canada TV should be like: "In certain specific activities, CBC/Radio-Canada has been successful in implementing its public service mandate in a way that complements the private sector. Their radio networks, for example, provide a distinctive non-commercial public broadcasting service that complements the service provided by private radio broadcasters."[15] Bill Neville, a former CBC Board member, said that CBC Radio is "not there competing with the private sector [.] it has a niche that it's established for itself that it's happy in and that it's building on."[16]

The CBC/Radio-Canada's English-language television service includes its English-language network and 15 stations it owns and operates in various parts of the country. Twelve affiliated stations also broadcast CBC/Radio-Canada programming. CBC/Radio-Canada has separate licences for each of these undertakings and the conditions attached to the licences are set by the CRTC.

The English-language network has seen its audience share decline for a decade now. The appearance of many specialised channels and the emergence of broadcasting by satellite in part explain the fragmentation of CBC/Radio Canada's television audiences. Nor should we forget that CBC/Radio-Canada television operates in a market in which American broadcasts exert a very strong attraction.

This state of affairs already existed at the time of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Broadcasting (Aird Commission) in 1929. The Commission concluded that only a public broadcaster could ensure that a reasonable quantity of Canadian programmes would be made available to Canadian audiences, thus countering at least to some extent the predominance of American programmes. More than 75 years later, these findings remain just as valid.

Year after year, CBC/Radio-Canada's English-language network produces and broadcasts quality Canadian programmes. Sport also occupies an important place in its programming. But while it is true that the American television channels exert a strong pull, there is room for improvement in English-language TV.

CBC/Radio-Canada's English-language television competes with all the other broadcasters for the viewers' attention. In 1993, English-language pay and specialty channels had 6.2 percentage points of the audience share; in 2004, that figure was 22.4. Conversely, CBC Television's audience share declined by 6.5 percentage points between 1993 and 2004.

 

** The lock-out of Canadian Media Guild employees, outside Quebec and Moncton, caused a drop in audience share.

Source: CRTC, Broadcast Policy Monitoring Report 2005, p. 35.

The Committee feels that it is clear that audience share cannot be the sole objective of the CBC/Radio-Canada's English-language television. A public broadcaster must pursue other, equally important, goals. It must offer a service that is unique and distinct from the private sector.

Radio and Television Services Broadcast in Northern Canada

Canada's North extends over more than 4 million square kilometres, stretches across four time zones and is home to some 100,000 inhabitants.

CBC North is the public broadcaster that serves the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, Eyou Istchee and the Cree region of Northern Quebec. The service has centres and production offices in ten locations. In addition to the network programming, CBC North broadcasts 180 hours of weekly regional programming in eight Aboriginal languages across four time zones.

It is a real challenge for CBC/Radio-Canada to operate a broadcasting service in the Canadian North. The operating costs related to service delivery, infrastructure maintenance, labour and transportation are all challenges that the Crown Corporation must manage every day in order to ensure good reception of its programmes by the population of the North.

For many northern communities, CBC/Radio-Canada plays a capital role because it is a point of contact with the rest of the world. During our hearings in Yellowknife, witnesses even indicated that the presence of a public broadcaster was an essential service.[17] In many communities, CBC North's radio and television broadcasts are the only sources of entertainment and information the residents have. Some communities do not have a local cable network, and the cost of satellite broadcasting services is often prohibitive.

CBC North offers a unique perspective on local news and northern culture. As Curtis Shaw, General Manager of Northwestel Cable, put it, "The private sector will never provide northern Canadians with the entertainment, cultural, and news programming currently being delivered by CBC North. There is an important and continuing role for a public broadcaster, especially in the three northern territories."[18]

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Radio and Television Services for Aboriginal Peoples

CBC/Radio-Canada's mandate does not explicitly set out any specific obligations to the Aboriginal peoples. However, section 3 of the Broadcasting Act states that "the Canadian broadcasting system should [...] reflect [...] the special place of aboriginal peoples [within Canadian society]." Moreover, "programming that reflects the aboriginal cultures of Canada should be provided within the Canadian broadcasting system as resources become available for the purpose."

The various Aboriginal organisations that appeared before our Committee requested a change to CBC/Radio-Canada's mandate to include explicit obligations to Canada's Aboriginal peoples. Dave Macleod, of Native Communication Inc., feels that the Broadcasting Act has no real effect on broadcasting for Aboriginal peoples.[19] For its part, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network thinks that the phrase "as resources become available for the purpose" makes Aboriginal people second-class citizens. Maliseet Nation Radio Inc. of New Brunswick thinks it is imperative "that the mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada be expanded to include the different needs and circumstances of various commonly spoken languages of the First Nations people across Canada and to include specific reference to the needs of Canada's First Nations people."[20]

Last year, Native Communication worked with CBC Radio-Manitoba on a number of successful special projects. Creating this type of link dovetails neatly with the Corporation's mandate. Native Communication's proposals include the creation of a national programme on the CBC to close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Such a programme, entitled Our Native Land, existed in the 1980s, but unfortunately was cancelled.[21] APTN also mentioned that, in the past, it had worked productively with the CBC, as public broadcasters, to attain common objectives. However, there is always room for improvement.[22]

The Committee considers that matters should be rectified without delay. As a national broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada has the mandate to represent everyone in Canada, including the Aboriginal peoples. CBC/Radio-Canada is capable of doing more to serve the Aboriginal audience. It is a network's role to bring people together and to give the First Nations a voice. Partnerships with certain Aboriginal broadcasters could be strengthened.

CBC/Radio-Canada's Statutory Mandate

The Broadcasting Act of 1991 is the cornerstone of the broadcasting system in Canada. It defines the role of CBC/Radio-Canada in the Canadian broadcasting system and sets out the Corporation's current mandate, the powers of its senior managers and its governance mechanisms. The Act extends beyond Canada's borders, since it requires CBC/Radio-Canada to operate an international service, Radio Canada International (RCI), which is broadcast all around the world in nine languages. The Act also provides that the Corporation, as the national public broadcaster, should offer radio and television services with broad and varied programming that informs, enlightens and entertains. Specifically, paragraph 3(1)(m) of the Act provides that the Corporation's programming must:

CBC/Radio-Canada operates in a complex and constantly changing environment. In some sectors, it competes with private broadcasters, making waves among its competitors. Developments in the Internet and consumers' interest in emerging technologies have also raised the issue of updating the mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada.

The Committee asked the following question, which is the main thrust of its study: Should the statutory mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada be changed and if so how? We received interesting suggestions for potential amendments to six of the eight subparagraphs comprising the statutory mandate of CBC/Radio Canada. On the whole we are of the opinion that the subparagraphs comprising the statutory mandate should still serve as the basis for CBC/Radio-Canada's decisions. We also recommend the ratification of a memorandum of understanding between CBC/Radio-Canada and the Minister of Canadian Heritage. We will outline our position below.

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CBC/Radio-Canada should be predominantly and distinctively Canadian

Under the CRTC's regulations, all Canadian broadcasters are required to broadcast a minimum of Canadian content. CBC/Radio-Canada is subject to the same standards.

The requirement that the Corporation's programming be both predominantly and distinctively Canadian is at the heart of its mandate. In comparison with private broadcasters, CBC/Radio-Canada has become the champion of Canadian content and an important showcase for Canadian programmes during prime time. Over the years, the Corporation has set a standard of excellence for the development of Canadian content and the promotion of Canadian artists.

Table 2 shows how CBC/Radio-Canada's English and French television networks have performed over the last four years. From 2001 to March 2005, an average of 86% of all the SRC's evening prime-time programming in French was Canadian. The CBC's English television network had 87% Canadian content during prime time in
2001-2002, falling to 67% in 2004-2005. With Hockey Night in Canada back on the schedule, this figure has risen again to 86%, the CBC's most recent corporate plan states. The continuous news services in English (Newsworld) and French (RDI) and the CBC/Radio-Canada's English and French radio networks are significant suppliers of Canadian programming, with an average of 90% or more Canadian content.

Table 2: Percentage of Canadian content, CBC/Radio-Canada programming

	01-02	02-03	03-04	04-05
CBC Television (7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.)	87 %	84 %	86%	67 %
CBC Newsworld (7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.)	90%	90%	90%	90%
Radio-Canada Television (7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.)	86%	86%	88%	85%
Réseau de l'information	97%	97%	95%	90%
English Radio	100%	100%	100%	100%
French Radio	100%	100%	100%	100%

Source: CBC/Radio-Canada Corporate Plan 2006-2007 to 2010-2011, p. 44. (Data from ÉCQ, Nielsen Media Research and BBM.)

In the opinion of the Directors Guild of Canada, CBC/Radio-Canada could do better. The two television networks should in its view be required to broadcast 100% Canadian content in prime time.[23]

Norman Hill of Vancouver suggested that subparagraph 3(1)(m)(i) should be amended to stipulate that the Corporation's programming " overwhelmingly and distinctly Canadian."[24] A clearer mandate would in his view be the only way to guarantee exclusively Canadian programmes.

There was a lot of criticism of the English and French television networks' acquiring too many foreign productions, at the expense of Canadian ones. The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) expressed disappointment that CBC management considered it necessary to fill the time slots left open by the NHL lockout in 2004 with American movies.[25]

In their brief, Tony Manera and Bill Neville, two former CBC/Radio-Canada board members, put forward a bold proposal. They recommended that "a much greater percentage than the current 37% of total Canadian Television Fund (CTF) revenue be earmarked for independent productions that would be shown on the CBC. [.] Private broadcasters would have reduced obligations for Canadian content."[26] As a result, CBC/Radio-Canada would become the main home of Canadian content.

The Writers Guild of Canada strongly opposed this idea. Representing over 1,800 professional screenwriters, it sees this as "the kiss of death for the creative community, and [.] for Canadian audiences and our industry."[27]

Corus Entertainment stated that the CTF is indispensable for big-budget productions in Canada. The Canadian broadcasting industry depends on it to produce high-quality programming.[28] CTF will be examined in greater detail in Chapter 4.

The Committee believes that our public broadcaster should be required to broadcast 100% Canadian content in prime time. CBC/Radio-Canada should not be allowed to broadcast foreign programmes during prime time (7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.), to ensure that Canadian programming is featured prominently on both the English and the French networks.

RECOMMENDATION 1.1

The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage recommends that the CBC/Radio-Canada continue in its role as Canada's public broadcaster, an institution at the center of cultural, political, social, and economic life in Canada, and a key component of Canada's broadcasting system.

RECOMMENDATION 1.2

The Committee recommends that CBC/Radio-Canada continue to be predominantly and distinctively Canadian.

RECOMMENDATION 1.3

The Committee recommends that prime-time hours, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 pm, Monday to Friday, on the CBC/Radio-Canada's television networks, should be reserved for Canadian productions.

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The CBC and Reflecting Regional Diversity

Subparagraph 3(1)(m)(ii) of CBC/Radio-Canada's public mandate sets out the requirement to reflect Canada and its regional diversity to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of the regions. CBC/Radio-Canada must offer quality Canadian programming in all regions of the country, including the most remote ones. The fact that Canadians can watch or listen to programming from the Maritimes, Quebec or the West fosters greater understanding among Canadians.

At our public hearings in Ottawa, Yellowknife, Vancouver, Winnipeg, St. John's and Montreal, residents of the various regions and cities who appeared criticised the way the Corporation carries out this part of its mandate. Various witnesses expressed disappointment with the CBC's local and regional coverage in their communities. A number of them said that the national public broadcaster's programming does not reflect them. They demanded access to special programming tailored to their needs. Dissatisfaction is high in some regions, among both Anglophones and Francophones, as to the way the Corporation carries out this part of its mandate.

CBC/Radio Canada has not succeeded in carrying out its mandated commitment to "reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions." This is demonstrated most clearly by the Hamilton example.

City of Hamilton, Brief, March 2007, p. 1.

"Montrealisation" of Programming

Some witnesses complained that Radio-Canada's French-language television programming focuses too much on Montreal or Ottawa. Francophones from minority communities argued that CBC/Radio-Canada cannot claim to reflect the reality of Canada from the large urban operations centres of Montreal, Ottawa or Toronto. The Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique for instance talked about the "Montrealisation" of the national broadcaster.[29]

The Newfoundland and Labrador section of ACTRA maintained that it is essential that the CBC/Radio-Canada "return to its leadership role in reflecting our Canadian culture from the regions to our fellow Canadians."[30] It is vital to offering varied and high-quality Canadian programming. The CBC/Radio-Canada must address regional interests by increasing the volume of programming that reflects regional interests and culture.[31]

To address this situation, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting urged CBC/Radio-Canada to develop a corporate plan that would allow it to fulfill its regional responsibilities, with $100 million in funding per year for the next five years.[32] The organisation Our Public Airwaves made a similar request, stipulating that this funding should be specifically earmarked for the development of regional programming.

The issues where the private sector has fallen down on the job - and I think the public broadcaster has as well - are areas that need to be reinvigorated: primarily local reflection, regional reflection.

CEP, Winnipeg, April 17, 2007.

Sylvain Lafrance, Executive Vice-President of French Services Canada, announced at the unveiling of programming at the Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal that the new French television season will seek to better serve Francophones in the regions.

Local Programming

CBC/Radio-Canada works in partnership with a number of commercial stations with which it has concluded affiliation agreements for the distribution of its signals in various regions of Canada. They broadcast a certain number of hours of programming from the Corporation every day. These stations sell local advertising and CBC/Radio-Canada provides access rights to the affiliates to use its transmitters. The affiliates play an important but often unrecognised role.

The affiliates in the English and French markets allow the Corporation to extend its reach in the regions and to better reflect those regions on its airwaves. Some of these local television stations play a crucial role in these markets as the sole source of news and information.

At the hearings held in Toronto on April 20, 2007, the Committee heard interesting evidence from officials with the City of Hamilton, suggesting that over a million Canadians in this region are not well served by local programming, on either television or radio. The closing of the local CBC/Radio-Canada office in 1992 left Hamilton without any local link to the Corporation's regional affiliates or the national network, resulting in "a reduced relevance of the national broadcaster in the region and a reduction in the representation of our region on the national network. Recent CRTC decisions have rejected applications to create additional local TV stations to serve the Niagara and Hamilton region." CBC/Radio-Canada could fill that gap.[33]

The Committee also considered the affiliates. Affiliates from Eastern Queb ec and Abitibi made the following points to the Committee:

The Affiliates of CBC/Radio-Canada French-language network currently serve 20% of CBC/Radio-Canada's audience in Quebec. Twenty-one percent of CBC/Radio-Canada's viewership in Quebec is generated by its affiliates. For 50 years, CBC/Radio-Canada affiliates have been broadcasting local content during the vast majority of its station breaks, six times an hour, 18 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.[34]

Just recently, on September 20, 2007, the Executive Vice-President for French Services , Sylvain Lafrance, announced that the Corporation was terminating its affiliation with Télévision Quatre-Saisons for the three regional stations in Trois-Rivières, Saguenay and Sherbrooke. For 50 years, CBC/Radio-Canada paid Cogeco to broadcast its programming in Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke and Saguenay. The CRTC still has to approve this severance in the coming months.

Corus Entertainment is the owner-operator of three television stations affiliated with the CBC that serve Peterborough, Oshawa and Kingston. These three stations broadcast their own programming for about six hours a day and the CBC fills the rest of the day. When broadcasting their programming, these stations sell the advertising, and for the time slots when the CBC is broadcasting, it sells its own advertising. They share the air time.[35]

Gary Maavara of Corus Entertainment impressed upon the Committee the need for local content on CBC/Radio-Canada. Affiliates play an active role in various organisations and community initiatives, which they support financially. Local broadcasters are at the centre of community life. CBC/Radio-Canada must strengthen regional stations and stimulate the production of regional programming for local and network audiences. This would not run counter to the objective of creating programming that viewers want to see.[36]

As for Quebec, Raynald Brière, Executive Director of Radio Nord Communications, maintained that CBC/Radio-Canada carries out this part of its mandate to the regions well through its partnerships with affiliates that serve a number of Francophone regional markets. He considers it essential for strong local programming to be maintained in small communities. In Quebec, the stations affiliated with the French-language Radio‑Canada network currently serve 20% of the Corporation's audience. The Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Saguenay, Rouyn-Noranda and Rivière-du-Loup markets represent a total population of 1.4 million age two and over.

Marc Simard, Manager of CKRT-TV, argued however that CBC/Radio-Canada should increase the share of advertising revenues it gives local stations, to continue to allow them to maintain a regular and daily local presence.[37] The affiliates are better able than Radio-Canada to carry out the local programming mandate: "The local programming and information mandate that CBC/Radio-Canada confers on us is clearly central to our business."[38]

Bill Neville and Tony Manera argued that the CBC/Radio-Canada should eliminate dinner-hour news shows and let the local private stations provide that service.

The study highlighted the fact that the CBC has a duty and obligation to be more representative and to do more at the local level.

RECOMMENDATION 1.4

The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage recommends that when services cannot be distributed directly, CBC/Radio-Canada should negotiate fair and equitable agreements with its affiliates to ensure that all Canadians have access to their national public broadcaster.

Programming that reflects the regions must address the socio-cultural life and geography of a given region. One key way of achieving this is to portray a region's past through its history, music and residents. This is why CBC/Radio-Canada must maintain its local and regional presence throughout Canada. The Committee is of the opinion that CBC/Radio-Canada should increase the number of programmes in prime time that reflect all regions of Canada.

RECOMMENDATION 1.5

The Committee considers that CBC/Radio-Canada should increase the number of programmes that reflect all regions of Canada, including prime-time programming.

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Regional Production

The Manitoba Motion Picture Industry Association argued that "an increase in the resources and authority of the regional offices of the CBC would help to develop this important relationship."[39]

We commend the CBC on the series Little Mosque on the Prairie, but regret that this show - created by a Regina writer and production company, set in Saskatchewan, and originally filmed in Saskatchewan - was moved to Hamilton, Ontario, by the CBC.

Manitoba Motion Picture Industry Association, Winnipeg, April 11, 2007.

In Winnipeg, the CEO of Productions Rivard maintained that independent production outside Quebec has become an essential condition for fulfilling  CBC/Radio-Canada's national mandate. The company recommended that a contribution agreement between CBC/Radio-Canada and Canadian Heritage include a clause requiring it to increase the content from all Francophone regions.[40]

The Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation said that the production capability of CBC/Radio-Canada's local television facilities has decreased dramatically in the last 15 years, apart from news and public affairs programming. There is no provincial educational television network and local private broadcasters have limited capabilities and mandates.[41]

In Quebec, the Union des artistes also maintained that the Corporation could improve regional production in order to better reflect all the various regions and communities in Canada.[42]

The Committee is of the opinion that the regions should be given a fresh start on the public broadcaster's airwaves. While there are significant challenges, especially as regards production costs and staff turnover in the regions, this is a basic duty of a national public broadcaster.

RECOMMENDATION 1.6

The Committee recommends an increase in the variety, drama, news, public affairs and documentary programming produced by the regional CBC/Radio-Canada stations and independent producers.

Actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression

There are a number of international standards stipulating that public broadcasters have a special role to play in promoting the arts and culture.

The Protocol on the System of Public Broadcasting in the Member States of the European Union (an appendix to the European Union Treaty, signed in Amsterdam in 1997) stipulates that "the system of public broadcasting in the Member States is directly related to the democratic, social and cultural needs of each society and to the need to preserve media pluralism."[43]

The role of the public broadcaster in fostering cultural diversity is also cited in the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Article 6, subsection 2(h), of the Convention states that the signatory parties may adopt measures to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions, including "measures aimed at enhancing diversity of the media, including through public broadcasting."[44]

CBC/Radio-Canada gives Canadians the opportunity to see and hear hundreds of Canadian artists every year. It gives the artists national visibility, allowing them to reach a broad audience. CBC/Radio-Canada radio and television are springboards for performances and cultural events that Canadians would not otherwise be exposed to.

"It is our view that in Canada the CBC is likely the single most important vehicle for the nurture, support, and promotion of the arts and the exploration and creation of identity at local, regional, and national levels."

Andrew Wilhelm-Boyles, Alliance for Arts and Culture, Vancouver, March 14, 2007

Some observers regard CBC/Radio-Canada as Canada's main cultural institution. In its brief, the Canada Council for the Arts noted that "[t]he CBC is Canada's single most important vehicle for disseminating the arts through its extensive arts programming on television, radio, and the Internet."[45] The National Film Board made a similar observation.[46]

With its many platforms, CBC/Radio-Canada is available to many Canadians who can chose to access the arts and information about the arts on the radio, by podcast, Webcast, television or satellite radio. Streaming video also allows Canadians to see programmes when they choose, not when they are originally broadcast. All these options promote access to the arts, especially for people who cannot attend the actual performances or concerts.

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The CBC and the Development of Artistic and Cultural Talent

Many witnesses pointed to the important role the Corporation plays in the development and promotion of Canadian talent in the arts. A number of creative artists and performers have launched their careers at CBC/Radio-Canada.

The CBC in Winnipeg has presented many of our clients. The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra are obvious examples, as are the playwrights who've worked in radio drama in Winnipeg [.] The CBC's work allows local artists to put down roots in the community and share their knowledge and commitment to excellence.

Judith Flynn, Manitoba Arts Council, April 11, 2007

Trish Dolman, a producer from Vancouver, asserted that the role of the public broadcaster is to reflect the country's arts and cultural life. As a result, CBC/Radio-Canada should make arts programming a priority, reflecting artistic life in Canada.[47] For its part, the Centre culturel de Vancouver praised CBC/Radio-Canada as a key player in disseminating cultural life in French. In addition, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA du Canada) stressed the need to maintain the mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada[48] as it is.

The Fédération culturelle canadienne-française (FCCF) invited Radio-Canada to continue to play a central role in building Francophone identity in Canada. The resources and the right conditions must be provided to allow it to perform this role effectively.[49]

For its part, Quebec's English-Language Arts Network stated that CBC/Radio-Canada radio makes the best of English-language culture available to the Anglophone minority and showcases all the small groups making up this community. Without CBC radio, a large part of Anglophone culture in Quebec would be inaccessible. The organisation argued, however, that CBC/Radio-Canada cannot fulfill this part of its mandate due to the chronic underfunding by previous governments over a number of years.[50]

Approximately 10, 15 or 20 years ago, locally, Radio-Canada filmed one of the plays put on by the Cercle Molière per season, which was enormous at the time. It was a privilege for us to see our actors on stage. Of course, since the cuts, all of this has vanished, but at the time, it was really extraordinary that a local theatre company saw one of its productions per season on the TV screen.

Claude Dorge, ACTRA, March 11, 2007.

The gradual abdication of the CBC/Radio-Canada mandate has led to a considerable decrease in the literary content of its programming. According to the Writers Guild of Canada, this marked reduction in programming showcasing books and writers has had a negative impact on the publishing industry in Canada.[51]

CBC/Radio-Canada can do a lot to promote new artists, artists from all cultural communities, including Aboriginal artists. The Corporation's mandate states that it must "actively contribute to the flow and exchange of cultural expression" and "reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada." The Independent Media Arts Alliance argued that increased funding would allow the CBC/Radio-Canada to meet the specific needs of Aboriginal communities in Canada.[52]

According to the Syndicat des communications de Radio-Canada, the problem can be attributed to the reduction in programming produced in the regions and broadcast by CBC/Radio-Canada. For example, the production of general French-language television programming, excluding news, is overly centralised in Montreal, completely eliminating the regional voice in programming.[53]

The same criticism was made of CBC/Radio-Canada television. The Executive Director of British Columbia Film, Richard Brownsey, stated that the very concept of regions should be reconsidered. In his view, the use of this term implies that "most of Canada exists at some geographic and intellectual distance from the centre."[54] He takes issue with British Columbia or Vancouver being regarded as a region in relation to a centre that is located elsewhere in Canada.

Given the positive impact that CBC/Radio-Canada has on the arts and culture in Canada, the Committee was asked to recommend that this aspect of the Corporation's mandate be maintained and strengthened.

The Committee encourages CBC/Radio-Canada to work with the arts and music community to promote and showcase them to Canadians. As Canada Council for the Arts officials noted, young artists do not have artificial borders in their minds or in their creation. They mix traditions, merge aesthetic forms, and want access to the largest audience possible. The CBC/Radio-Canada plays a unique role by encouraging such expression, through the Internet, for instance.[55]

The Committee urges CBC/Radio-Canada to continue to make the arts accessible to everyone through the Internet, radio and television. The Corporation must give Canadian artists a voice, whether they are starting their careers or are already widely acclaimed for their talent. It must continue to offer Canadians a cultural product that they can enjoy every day: exposure to music, books, productions, films, and dance and theatre performances in the comfort of their own homes. It can motivate Canadians to enjoy the arts in Canada by encouraging debate. It informs Canadians about the whole range of arts production, and what is happening locally, elsewhere in Canada and beyond our borders. Finally, it reflects the country to Canadians: its great artists, its regional and linguistic differences and its tremendous appetite to learn and discover.

RECOMMENDATION 1.7

The Committee recommends that CBC/Radio-Canada devote a greater share of its programming to the arts (music, books, film, dance and theatre performances) and that these programmes reflect the cultural diversity of the regions.

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Be in English and in French, reflecting the different needs and circumstances of each official language community, including the particular needs and circumstances of English and French linguistic minorities

The Broadcasting Act stipulates that the Corporation must reflect the different needs and circumstances of each official language community. Representatives of official-language minority communities (OLMC), and of Francophone minority communities in particular, participated actively in our work and we want to thank them. The Committee noted the strong interest of these communities in the future of CBC/Radio-Canada, be it in Yellowknife, Vancouver, Winnipeg or Ottawa. In Montreal, the English-Language Arts Network appeared before the Committee to state its expectations of the national public broadcaster. CBC/Radio-Canada does play a unique role for minority communities. It is a source of essential information for people who often have limited access to local radio and television content in French or in English.

The FCFA du Canada and its members stressed that CBC/Radio-Canada must live up to the commitment set out in subsection 41(1) of the Official Languages Act, which states that the "Government of Canada is committed to enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and supporting and assisting their development; and fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society."[56] On the whole, Francophone and Acadian communities are relatively satisfied with the work of the CBC/Radio-Canada's regional radio stations as regards reflecting their realities.

In several regions of the country, the CBC remains the only relevant media channel in the official minority language. This is particularly true for minority francophone communities but also for the English minority in Quebec.

Graham Fraser, Commissioner of Official Languages, March 20, 2007.

However, the organisation representing Francophone minority communities did recommend changes to ensure that the Corporation can fulfill its mandate. Francophone minority communities unanimously denounced the centralisation of production in Montreal. It leaves little room for regional productions and reduces the regional representation in national programming. Representatives of Francophone minority communities expressed their dissatisfaction with the SRC's services. The elimination of the regional news programmes Ce Soir in the four western provinces, significant cuts to French-language radio stations in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the centralising of television series production in Montreal are all sources of frustration.

In Prince Edward Island, for example, we were told that despite efforts by hosts to offer Francophone content relevant to the community, the team appears to be so under-equipped that the audience has to listen to English radio for the news that affects their day-to-day lives.

FCFA du Canada, March 29, 2007.

One of the chief complaints of the FCFA du Canada pertains to the content on the Corporation's national network. On the whole, the Francophone minority communities maintained that the programming on Radio-Canada's national network is too focused on Montreal. Some of these witnesses ironically referred to it as
"Radio-Canada-Montréal" as regards both news and variety programming. They called on the Corporation to truly reflect the diversity and regional realities of Canada and to stimulate dialogue between Quebec society and Francophone and Acadian Communities.[57]

Almost all of Radio-Canada's French-language production is produced in Quebec. I find this insulting, and it is done in a very blatant way. It is Quebec production for Quebeckers. However, Canadians are footing the bill, without being able to enjoy any of the benefits.

FCFA du Canada, March 29, 2007.

The English-Language Arts Network voiced recriminations similar to those made by the FCFA du Canada. The CBC's English-language television service does not "adequately reflect the English-language minority in Quebec, nor does it provide sufficient programming production opportunities for English-language Quebec-based producers."[58]

Moreover, in order to provide funding for productions and make them profitable, the CBC/Radio-Canada is increasingly seeking to commercialise its programming, which in our opinion has had an impact on the national network's ability to reflect the regions.

The Committee recognises CBC/Radio-Canada's efforts to serve official-language minority communities. We believe however that the Corporation's networks should be more flexible in order to meet the needs of Francophone minority communities. They should seek to give local stations outside Quebec more freedom to create programming for their audiences. This could mean giving them more leeway in the choice of music or developing cost-effective formats for current events programming.

Establishing an accountability framework would enable the Corporation to better report its results and strategies and of course those of its French-language regional stations, in order to make it a better fit with the community and to increase viewership. Above all, such an accountability framework would reflect the new Part VII of the Official Languages Act and the requirement to adopt positive measures.

RECOMMENDATION 1.8

The Committee calls upon the television and radio services of CBC/Radio-Canada to meet the needs of official-language minority communities more fully and to offer programming that better reflects their reality.

RECOMMENDATION 1.9

The Committee calls upon CBC/Radio-Canada to develop an accountability framework, in conjunction with official-language minority communities, setting clear qualitative and quantitative objectives for CBC/Radio-Canada for content of news, drama and variety programming.

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Contribute to shared national consciousness and identity

As Canada's national broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada plays an essential role in helping Canadians learn more about one another and discover their personal identity.

This aspect of its mandate has often been criticised in the past. The previous version of the Broadcasting Act, 1968, did indeed explicitly provide that CBC/Radio-Canada must "contribute to the development of national unity and provide for a continuing expression of Canadian identity."[59]

In 1986, the Task Force on Broadcasting Policy chaired by Gerald Caplan and Florian Sauvageau found that delegating the promotion of national unity to the national public broadcaster was "weighted down with unpleasant historical and political baggage" for Canadians."[60] The Task Force also recommended that "the provision that the national service contribute to the development of national unity should be rescinded and replaced by a more socially oriented provision, for example, that the service contribute to the development of national consciousness."[61]

Subparagraph 3(1)(m)(vi) of the new Broadcasting Act (1991) provides that the CBC must "contribute to shared national consciousness and identity." The Act also stipulates in subsection 35(2) with respect to the CBC that "this Part shall be interpreted and applied so as to protect and enhance the freedom of expression and the journalistic, creative and programming independence enjoyed by the Corporation in the pursuit of its objects and in the exercise of its powers."

Moreover, the preamble to the CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices states that the "Corporation enjoys administrative and programming independence from political and governmental direction" and that the arm's length relationship with Parliament "is critical to the Corporation's independence."[62]

In the evidence we gathered on this matter, this section of the mandate is interpreted as a mechanism for sharing information and ideas among Canadians to familiarise them with the traditions, values and expectations of each region of the country.

CBC/Radio-Canada is seen as the primary institution helping Canadians learn more about each other and promoting mutual understanding among them. CBC/Radio-Canada must ensure that the many people living in Canada can see and hear themselves on television. In practical terms, this means that productions by regional stations must be shown on the national network.

The CBC is an important part of the glue that holds this country together.

Christopher O'Brien, Yellowknife, March 12, 2007

Norman Hill of Vancouver said that "Parliament must ensure that the CBC fulfills its mandate 'to contribute to Canada's shared national consciousness and identity'. To achieve this, the CBC should make large increases to arts and cultural programming, for example, by producing more contemporary Canadian dramas, historical documentaries, and TV movies. Canadians need to see and hear uniquely Canadian stories in order for our culture to thrive."

Appearing before the Committee, Professor Florian Sauvageau noted that it is difficult to foster a shared consciousness when a network has an audience share of 5% or 6%, as the CBC's English network does. It is difficult for it to be a "social link" and a nation builder. [63]

The President and Chief Executive Officer of TVN Niagara Inc., Wendell G. Wilks, called for new life to be breathed into English television at the CBC. If CBC television were modelled on CBC radio, this would "help to save this nation. [.] If we cannot save the CBC, we might end up not being able to save our nation."[64]

The Committee considers CBC/Radio-Canada's role of building bridges and fostering mutual understanding among Canadians to be essential. It is a major national public institution and is supported by all Canadians. Canadians have the right to expect the Corporation to tell Canadians more about themselves and what is going on around the country. Giving all regions of Canada a real voice so they can express their reality will draw Canadians closer together and foster mutual understanding. The Committee stresses how important it is for CBC/Radio-Canada to carry out this part of its mandate of "contribut[ing] to shared national consciousness and identity."

RECOMMENDATION 1.10

The Committee wishes to stress how important it is for CBC/Radio-Canada to contribute to shared national consciousness and identity, as stipulated in subparagraph 3(1)(m)(vi) of the Broadcasting Act.

Be made available throughout Canada by the most appropriate and efficient means and as resources become available

Subparagraph 3(l)(m)(vii) of the Act stipulates that CBC/Radio-Canada programming should be made available "throughout Canada by the most appropriate and efficient means and as resources become available for the purpose."

The Fédération Franco-TéNoise expressed reservations about this. There are large Francophone communities that do not receive Première Chaîne - the French-language equivalent of CBC Radio One - or Espace Musique, the French-language cultural network. These include the Francophone communities in Fort Smith, Hay River and Inuvik, which do not receive the Radio-Canada signal. They have to pay to receive the service. The residents of the Northwest Territories outside the capital, Yellowknife, do not have access to French-language radio. Moreover, the Committee was astounded to learn while in Yellowknife that the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife has to pay for the re-broadcast of Première Chaîne from Montreal and cover the equipment maintenance costs out of the financial contribution from the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The availability of CBC/Radio-Canada's various services was raised right across the country in our public consultations. Chapter 2 of this report examines in depth the availability of CBC/Radio-Canada services both over the air and through new broadcast technologies.

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Reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada

The mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada states that the Corporation shall "reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada." In other words, its programming and internal operations must reflect the diversity of contemporary Canadian society. The Committee agrees that the terms "cultural diversity" or "ethnocultural diversity" are now more commonly used to refer to this aspect of Canadian society.

Every year, Canada welcomes an average of over 250,000 immigrants. It is essential that CBC/Radio-Canada accurately reflect the diversity of Canada's population.

Richard Brownsey, Executive Director of British Columbia Film, cited Vancouver as a striking example of the growing diversity of Canadian communities, and said it is increasingly essential for CBC/Radio-Canada to create a connection with and reflect the cultures and customs of our multicultural and multiethnic communities.

Witnesses such as Trish Dolman, from Vancouver, asserted however that CBC/Radio-Canada does not represent "the racial and cultural diversity of the country."[65]

In Montreal, Monique Simard from Productions Virage referred to the diversity of Canada's population and argued that because of this diversity, "we must have a gathering place, and only the public broadcaster can provide that."[66]

The Committee is of the opinion that we should as a society ensure that English and French radio and television services serve Canadians of all origins and meet their needs for entertainment and news in a manner that fully represents us all.

In this regard, the 2006-2007 CBC/Radio-Canada Annual Report cites a number of initiatives designed to ensure that Canada's ethnocultural diversity is represented on the airwaves and behind the scenes. At the start of 2007, CBC/Radio-Canada created a programme it calls "Diversity Advantage", which combines the diversity programmes of CBC Television, CBC Radio and Human Resources. It encompasses the strategic projects and collaborative efforts designed to ensure that CBC/Radio-Canada's television and radio services reflect Canadian society. Here are a few examples:

• Transform newsrooms to reflect the public's visible and audible diversity;
• On the national network, offer training and mentoring services for new authors and producers from diverse backgrounds;
• Develop a joint plan to increase Aboriginal content and the number of Aboriginal employees, and implement strategies to improve staff retention;
• Introduce measures to evaluate how visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, and people with disabilities are reflected in the Corporation's programming.

The English and French services of CBC/Radio-Canada have implemented over 30 cross-cultural projects to bring ethnocultural communities closer together and to increase their understanding of their respective realities. In addition, hundreds of CBC/Radio-Canada managers have received training on diversity management, and programmes will be established relating to recruitment, diversity management and diversity research. "All of these initiatives are critical in helping the Corporation to more effectively serve a changing Canada."[67]

Radio-Canada International (RCI) has the mandate "to increase awareness of Canadian values, as well as its social, economic and cultural activities to specific geographic areas as determined in consultation with the Government of Canada."[68] RCI also has a related mandate to inform new Canadians on these same topics. RCI has launched a brand new Web service, RCI viva, a forum in eight languages for new Canadians. RCI is discussed in more depth further on in this report.

Equity for Female Producers

The organisation Réalisatrices équitables was founded in 2005 by a group of women working in the production sector. It is interested in the representation of women's imagination and the equitable representation of women producers on the CBC/Radio-Canada's  French television service. In its presentation, the organisation argued that the current system is highly unfavourable to women and that it contributes to disparity in income for women producers, not to mention the unequal representation of women's imagination on the screen. The organisation claims that the current imbalance of male to female producers has an impact on society as a whole. [69]

While Réalisatrices équitables realises that the SRC is not solely responsible for the current position of half the population and of women filmmakers, the group argues that it has a very great influence and is part of a set of systems that do not favour women, even with respect to what is produced and funded by private sector entities.

The Committee believes that CBC/Radio-Canada has a leading role to play when it comes to ensuring that women are equitably represented in all aspects of its operations, including production. The Committee expects the Corporation to make use of women producers in the most equitable manner possible in all programming sectors (documentaries, series, fiction films, etc.).

RECOMMENDATION 1.11

The Committee supports CBC/Radio-Canada in its efforts to reflect Canada's cultural diversity and gender balance. We encourage the Corporation to pursue new initiatives allowing contemporary Canada to be represented among all its creators and contributors.

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The Committee's General Position on the Statutory Mandate: Ratification of a Memorandum of Understanding

CBC/Radio-Canada has a huge mandate in that it must reach all socioeconomic and age groups in Canada through varied programming that meets the needs, tastes and expectations of Canadian men, women and children. This broad mission is not incompatible with the need to focus on some categories of programming that are not prominent enough in private broadcasting or that are much needed to foster the artistic creativity and cultural identity of Canada.

The Corporation must make a special effort to encourage the production of original Canadian programming in the following sectors: drama, children's programming, documentaries and cultural programming. Throughout our study, witnesses reiterated the importance of CBC/Radio-Canada as a conduit for Canadian voices and images. The word "distinctive" was repeated often. CBC/Radio-Canada must offer a product that private broadcasters do not because of profitability considerations.

During our hearings, we noted that the CBC/Radio-Canada's statutory mandate, as expressed in the Broadcasting Act of 1991, is not problematic to the vast majority of witnesses. It is more a question of its interpretation.

I think the mandate, like the Canada Council's, is very enabling; it's a permissive mandate, in the sense that it allows them a fairly broad range of activity within the spirit of that mandate. I think it's for that reason that we think it is a good mandate and one they can operate within.

Canada Council for the Arts, April 26, 9:40 a.m.

Even a competitor such as Quebecor Media stressed in its brief that the mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada would not be problematic "if it did not lend itself so easily to such inconsistent interpretations by the management of the Crown Corporation."[70] It was the CBC/Radio-Canada practice in the past of bidding high to acquire broadcast rights to sports events and popular American programmes that created tension among other players in the industry.

For its part, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is of the opinion that the CBC/Radio-Canada's mandate, as set out in paragraph 3(1)(m) of the Broadcasting Act, is still entirely appropriate.[71] The mandate is in keeping with the key principles that the CAB has always espoused, namely, that CBC/Radio-Canada must strive primarily to offer distinctively Canadian programming that is unique and clearly different from the programming on the private networks, that is national in scope and of interest to the various regions of Canada, and that would otherwise not be offered by the Canadian broadcasting system. In the opinion of the CAB, the issue is not the mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada itself, but rather the way it is interpreted and carried out.[72]

We believe the current mandate of the CBC should be maintained.

ACTRA, April 17, 2007

Some observers maintained that the reduction in public funding in constant dollars combined with rising production costs and increased competition have led the Corporation to neglect some aspects of its mandate. This position was put forward by a number of groups including the Association canadienne de producteurs de films et de television,[73] the English-Language Arts Network,[74] the Writers Guild of Canada[75] and Our Public Airwaves[76] in their submissions. They maintain that lack of funding accounts for CBC/Radio-Canada's falling short of achieving its mandate. The matter of the resources allocated to the Corporation will be addressed later on in this report.

There is no denying that a number of interest groups told us forcefully and eloquently that CBC/Radio-Canada does not always appropriately reflect Canada's ethnocultural, regional and linguistic diversity. Similarly, it could probably do more for some groups in particular. But it is far from certain that its mandate must be completely reworked to achieve this objective.

When they came to meet with us here, the CBC representatives asked for a 10-year vote of confidence in order to make the switch to new platforms and technologies. This is a huge quantum leap of faith to ask for, as we live through technological changes that occur literally on a monthly basis. I'm more generous than my colleague.

Jacques Bensimon, May 10 CCA, March 27, 2007, 9:45 a.m.

For things to change, the government must in our opinion develop a new relationship with CBC/Radio-Canada, so that both parties are clear about their expectations of each other and fully agree on these expectations. This relationship would lead them to make the commitment, as set out in the Broadcasting Act, to meet their respective expectations.

We recommend the ratification of a long-term memorandum of understanding between the CBC/Radio-Canada and its "shareholders," the Canadian taxpayers. This memorandum would spell out the respective responsibilities of the signatories, including governance structure, funding, advertising revenues, regional programming, and partnership with other broadcasters. These are just some of the aspects that could be included in such a memorandum of understanding.

You've heard it from many people. If we're not clear about what the CBC is doing, it's tough to function. So we echo the CBC and Radio-Canada in calling for a 10-year mandate that sets out Canadians' expectations from their public broadcaster. That's a really basic start.

Canadian Media Guild, April 20, 2007, 10:05 a.m.

Such agreements exist elsewhere, including Great Britain: the BBC has just received a charter setting out its mandate and resources for the next ten years. Would ten years be an appropriate period for CBC/Radio-Canada? We do not have a definitive answer to this. The length of the agreement must however provide a minimum of predictability for at least seven years so that CBC/Radio-Canada can operate entirely independently, without commercial or political pressure. It could make long-term plans with a budget that is known in advance, plan its activities and adopt a strategic plan.

The budget allocated to the Corporation must be consistent with the content of the agreement. The government would be required to stipulate the funding to be provided to the Corporation for the duration of the agreement. The Corporation's five-year plan from 2006 to 2011 provides a basis for negotiation to identify the funding levels required.[77]

The annual reports that CBC/Radio-Canada submits to the Minister of Canadian Heritage would update Parliament and Canadians on the implementation and adherence to the terms of the memorandum of understanding for a specified period.

We certainly support the idea of establishing a ten-year contract between the public broadcaster and Parliament or the government. It's well worth exploring. It could be done at arm's length through the CRTC."

CCA, March 27, 2007, 9:15 a.m.

The memorandum of understanding would include a mechanism to evaluate success in achieving the objectives set out in it. In addition, due to the rapid changes in the broadcasting industry, the memorandum would be subject to amendment by mutual consent of the signatories.

We agree that the development of such a memorandum of understanding should not be improvised but rather should be part of an exercise to sound out Canadians. Canadians must be consulted on their needs, concerns and feelings about a Crown Corporation that is part of their daily lives and contributes a great deal to the development of our society. The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage intends to play a part in this process, so that parliamentarians' voices can be heard.  It would seem appropriate, in fact, for the Committee to be given responsibility for reviewing the memorandum of understanding and holding public hearings.

RECOMMENDATION 1.12

The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage recommends maintaining the current provisions of the statutory mandate of the CBC/Radio-Canada as set out in paragraphs 3(1)(l) and (m) of the Broadcasting Act, notwithstanding recommendation 2.3, which adds the role of the new media.

RECOMMENDATION 1.13

The Committee recommends the ratification of a seven-year memorandum of understanding between the Government of Canada and CBC/Radio-Canada, setting out the respective responsibilities of the signatories. The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage would be responsible for reviewing the memorandum of understanding and will conduct public consultations as required.

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