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OLLO - Standing Committee

Official Languages

 

The Honourable Claudette Tardif
Chair
Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4

Madam Chair:

On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to thank the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages for its hard work in developing the report entitled CBC/Radio‑Canada’s Language Obligations: Communities Want to See Themselves and Be Heard Coast to Coast! We are grateful to all those who appeared before the Committee to express their points of view and the effort put into crafting the recommendations.

I am pleased to submit this letter as the official response of our Government to the Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages. The Government acknowledges that CBC/Radio-Canada (the Corporation) is a major pillar of our Canadian broadcasting system and plays a significant role in reflecting official language minority communities. CBC/Radio‑Canada needs to be available in both national languages in every region of Canada. Its programming informs, enlightens and entertains, in accordance with the Broadcasting Act.

We expect that, as per its mandate, CBC/Radio‑Canada’s programming reflect Canada, its regions and its diversity to national and regional audiences and that the Corporation actively contribute to cultural expression and provide services in French and English to be reflective of the situation and specific needs of both official language communities. CBC/Radio‑Canada is also an independent Crown corporation, whose senior management is responsible for its day-to-day operations and programming.

While it is up to the Corporation to act on those recommendations in a manner that it deems appropriate, I trust that CBC/Radio-Canada will take the Committee’s hard work into account and address the report’s recommendations. I would encourage you to continue to engage directly with the Corporation about those recommendations, particularly those for which you have asked CBC/Radio-Canada to report back by December 31, 2014. With respect to the recommendation directed to Government, we believe that CBC/Radio‑Canada already receives significant funding and has the resources necessary to fulfill its obligations as Canada’s national public broadcaster in both English and French. Our Government expects CBC/Radio-Canada to manage its priorities within its current budget and to use its funds as effectively as possible so that Canadians can be offered content that they want to see and hear.

As Senators are aware, when it comes to the Government’s commitment to our country’s thriving national languages, our new $1.1 billion Roadmap for Official Languages 2013-2018 is the most comprehensive investment in Canadian history. This unwavering support will mobilize fourteen federal institutions to put in place 28 initiatives.

Our Government is also following with interest other ongoing broadcasting initiatives pertaining to official languages and local content. One example is the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications’ proceeding entitled Let’s Talk TV: A Conversation with Canadians. The purpose of this process is to examine the current overall television system on the basis of issues and priorities identified by Canadians.

Once again, I thank you for your contribution to the work of the Government and for the opportunity to discuss CBC/Radio-Canada’s role.

Yours sincerely,

The Honourable Shelly Glover, P.C., M.P.


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