Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Official Languages
Issue 6 - Evidence
OTTAWA, Monday, May 11, 2009
The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages met this day at 5:01 p.m. to study the application of the Official Languages Act and the regulations and directives made under it, within those institutions subject to the Act. On today's agenda are the Olympic and Paralympic 2010 Winter Games.
Senator Maria Chaput (Chair) in the chair.
[Translation]
The Chair: I would like to welcome you all to the Senate Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages. I am Senator Chaput, Chair of the committee.
The senators and committee members present today are: Senator Champagne, from Quebec, vice-chair of the committee; Senator Mockler, from New Brunswick; Senator Losier-Cool, also from New Brunswick; and Senator Jaffer, from British Columbia.
Today we will be hearing from a key group involved in the broadcasting of the Olympic and Paralympic 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler.
The reflection of Canada's linguistic duality in the Olympic and Paralympic 2010 Winter Games is an important subject for the committee, and broadcasting is key to ensuring this reflection.
This evening, the committee will be hearing from representatives of Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium and its representatives: Mr. Gerry Frappier, French Chef de mission and President of RDS and RIS; Mr. Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, CTV Inc.; and Mr. David Goldstein, Senior Vice- President, Regulatory Affairs, CTVglobemedia Inc.
The committee thanks you for having agreed to appear today and for being available to answer the senators' questions until 6:30 p.m. as needed.
The floor is yours.
Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, CTV Inc., Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium: Good afternoon, Madam Chair, honorable senators and committee staff.
[English]
Thank you for the invitation to discuss with you the Olympic consortium's exciting plans for French language broadcasting coverage of the 2010 Olympic Games.
We are pleased to provide you with this update on our progress since our last appearance before you in December 2006. I am the President of Revenue, Business Planning and Sports for CTV Inc. I am pleased to be joined by Gerry Frappier, the French Chef de Mission for Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, as well as the President of Réseau des Sports (RDS) and Réseau Info-Sports (RIS). We are also joined on the panel today by David Goldstein, Senior Vice-President, Regulatory Affairs for CTVglobemedia.
To be the official broadcast partner for the 2010 Olympic Games in our own country is a source of tremendous pride for CTVglobemedia. Our guarantee is to provide the most hours of coverage across the most platforms and deliver the most comprehensive coverage ever witnessed. Our commitment is to tell the stories, create the heroes and make Canada's athletes household names to Canadians in both official languages.
To do this, we have brought together some of the finest television and radio broadcasters in Canada. While Rogers is our main broadcast partner for television and radio, we are also working with RDS, RIS, TQS, APTN and Corus Radio. As French Chef de Mission, Gerry is responsible for coordinating with our partners, and he shares our commitment to ensuring an unprecedented level of French language coverage.
We are achieving unprecedented coverage because, for the first time ever by a Canadian broadcaster, every single second of live events will be broadcast on one of our French-language television stations as it will be for our English- language television stations. To be clear, this means that all 655 hours of live events in the 2010 Winter Games, including the opening and closing ceremonies to the gold medal hockey game and beyond, will be broadcast in both official languages. Never before has this been accomplished.
Turning now to other broadcast platforms, we have granted Corus Radio — with 10 French-language radio stations in Quebec — exclusive access to all RDS and TQS content. This will allow them to broadcast live on-site reports and news updates from the Olympics, including live play-by-play of the women's and men's hockey. They also have access to television audio for simulcasts of gold medal events and interviews with our athletes. As well, all of TQS and RDS coverage will be streamed live and will be available on demand on our broadband platform.
Our comprehensive broadcast plans mean that Canadians will be able to watch an unlimited number of hours of the games and choose what they want, when they want. In fact, there will be more opportunities for viewing than any previous Olympics. Between television and broadband, there will be some 4,500 hours of Olympic events accessible for Canadians to watch.
[Translation]
Gerry Frappier, French Chef de mission, President of RDS and RIS, Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium: Madam Chair, we are aware of the committee's concern that a small percentage of Canadians will not be able to view the games. Let me assure you that since winning the broadcast rights for the games in 2006, we have been committed to pursuing widespread distribution and greater accessibility of the French-language networks.
Here is what we have achieved so far. We have approached all cable and satellite companies outside Quebec, both large and small, to offer them the signals of TQS, RDS and RIS so that they can in turn provide access to these signals free of charge to their customers that currently do not subscribe to these channels.
We estimate that the six largest distributors reach 93 per cent of the cable and satellite homes outside Quebec. And all six have indicated a willingness to participate in our free view. The remaining 7 per cent are served by 200 small-and medium-size distributors, and approximately half are represented by the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance. CCSA has agreed to canvass its members in respect of our free view offer.
Telecom distributors represent almost half of the 7 per cent, and we are pleased to say that we have received positive feedback from these distributors.
The remaining independent distributors, which number about 100 and represent less than one per cent of the cable and satellite homes outside Quebec, have all received written free view offers. And we have followed up our letters with phone calls. To put these distributors into perspective, most are very small and include such entities as motels, for example.
As well, we approached the Vancouver Hotel Association which has assisted us in ensuring universal access of our French-language services. This represents about 100 hotels for that area.
The French-language stations that will carry the Olympic Games are currently viewed by approximately 96 per cent of francophones in Canada. And this percentage will increase with the support of our distribution partners that accept our free view offer.
We fully recognize that the success of our free view offer relies on the participation of our distribution partners, and we welcome your support to encourage all distributors to participate to the fullest extent possible.
Finally, this "free view" will occur throughout the entire month of February and not just for the duration of the games. This will allow viewers to participate in the lead-up and conclusion of the games, extending the Olympic movement beyond just a 17-day sporting event.
As the committee is likely aware, a substantial number of Canada's Winter Olympic athletes come from Quebec. And as Rick noted at the beginning of our presentation, we are dedicated to telling their stories, creating the heroes and making all of our athletes household names to all Canadians. We are well on the way to achieving this.
First, we have assembled a French production team of over 200 of the top broadcast professionals solely dedicated to producing the highest standard of quality.
These individuals will be present at all competition venues doing stand-alone production at each site and with complete editorial independence.
Second, our on-air talent roster is second to none and includes many of the biggest names past and present in the French sporting world. These include Alexandre Despatie, Jean-Luc Brassard, Richard Garneau, Pierre Houde and Gaétan Boucher, among others. These individuals will add a unique level of analysis and story-telling from an athlete's perspective.
Third, we have created and staffed a separate French-language bureau in Vancouver; it has been operational since January, providing regular news and updates.
Fourth, we have begun many unique pre-Olympic programming initiatives which are already airing on our French- language broadcast partners. This includes a weekly show on RDS called "Vers Vancouver 2010" which showcases our athletes and to which Nathalie Lambert, four-time Olympic speed skater and the athlete's chef de mission, is a regular contributor.
Fifth, we will have coverage from the "French Quarter" which will be constructed on Granville Island, where many provinces and countries representing la francophonie will be present. In this manner, not only will we be covering the Olympic Games, but the cultural olympics as well.
As you can tell from our presentation, CTV is committed to ensuring the best coverage — both in quality and quantity — for francophones throughout Canada. We have drawn guidance in this process through our proactive outreach to several francophone associations with whom we have consulted on our Olympic coverage plans.
You have heard from one of these organizations, the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue, ably represented by Guy Matte. As well, we are in constant communication with Jacques Gauthier from VANOC who also appeared before you, I believe.
We share in their views expressed to you that the level of mutual collaboration has been very strong and productive. We have kept them informed of our ongoing development plans and they have signaled their support, satisfaction and confidence. At least, I hope that is what they told you when they appeared here before you.
[English]
Mr. Brace: In conclusion, CTV recognizes that Canada's hosting of the Olympics represents a tremendous opportunity to showcase Canada's linguistic duality to the world. We have not treated this occasion lightly, and we believe that we have shown this through our broadcast coverage plans that we have described to you today.
[Translation]
We thank you for this opportunity to appear today, and we will be pleased to answer your questions.
Senator Champagne: Gentlemen, thank you for appearing once again before the committee. I think you are bringing us excellent news. I am thinking in particular of what Mr. Frappier said about hotels which will be offering French- language broadcasting.
I think it is excellent news because we went to Vancouver recently and in certain hotels, it was practically impossible to have access to French-language television shows. It is wonderful that you are looking after the cultural olympics as well, because we are working together to build this Place de la francophonie on Granville Island. I think that is good news as well.
You talked about what is going to happen next February and I am wondering what will happen with the Paralympic Games. That is why, tomorrow, I will be introducing a motion touching on concerns about these Paralympic Games.
In March, I was in Valcartier when the countdown to the Paralympic Games kicked off and I was able to meet with some of our athletes. I also watched some of our soldiers working out in a magnificent gymnasium.
According to my information, it would seem that the consortium and VANOC have still not reached an agreement concerning the Paralympic Games. When our paralympic athletes step up to the podium, I would like more time to be devoted to coverage of that event on the evening newscast. I would like to see more of these athletes who work just as hard as or harder than the others. What stage are you at in the agreement process between VANOC and your consortium regarding the broadcasting of the Paralympic Games?
[English]
Mr. Brace: We are basically there now, and we are getting very close to announcing our final plans. There will be far more than 30 seconds after a newscast. There are only six events for the Paralympic Games, which are much smaller than the Olympics and in comparison, the coverage will be less. We are planning to do — and you are hearing this first — the gold medal game of the sledge hockey live, which, as you know, is something that our military personnel take great pride in participating in. It is an incredible sport and it will be carried live, in French and English.
On the French side of the equation, we will do a minimum of 25 hours. That is more than has ever been done before from the Paralympic Games. We are still in the process of completing our plans, but we will be happy to let you know when we are complete. I can guarantee you it will be far more than you have ever seen before.
Senator Champagne: That is good news. We see these guys and gals working so hard to make the Olympic teams. Look at someone like Chantal Petitclerc. How long did it take for us to get to know and appreciate her? I know that she participated in the Paralympic Summer Games. We were also talking with Benoit St-Amand, who is the goalie on the sledge hockey team for Canada. I am delighted. I will have other questions, but I wanted to touch on this point. You are making us hopeful, which is good news.
Senator Jaffer: I also want to congratulate you. Since the first time we met, I truly believe you have made an effort. In your last paragraph, you say "showcase Canada's linguistic duality to the world." Those words are very encouraging. I congratulate you.
You said that all the hotels are covered now, is that correct?
Mr. Brace: I have personally worked with the Vancouver Hotel Association. We have their agreement, and so that I am absolutely transparent, they said that provided we can get Shaw to carry the channels, they can deliver them to the hotels. We have talked to Shaw, and they have given us that deal in principle, so that is why we were able to make this deal today.
There is still work to be done in Whistler. The Vancouver hotels are looked after, and now I have to deal with Whistler, but it is not a bad place to visit from time to time. I will be sure to report back on that as well.
Senator Jaffer: I congratulate you on that as well. Coming from British Columbia, obviously, I want people who are visiting our province to get our Olympic Games in both languages. I am pleased about that.
I was listening to you, and I may have missed this in your presentation, but when you speak about the Francophonie, we are not just talking about Quebec, but French speaking people all across our country. There is another growing group and that is Francophonie who have come to our country from different parts of the world. Are you involving them in any of your broadcasts because there are some that can be highlighted? Have you thought about how you will involve them?
Mr. Brace: You mean in terms of the athletes coming to our country to compete?
Senator Jaffer: Athletes that are coming to compete and also Francophonie people. For example, in my Province of British Columbia, there is a large and growing community of people who speak French who come from other parts of the world. In your broadcasts and in your programs are you involving those communities?
Mr. Brace: I will pass to Mr. Frappier but I can tell you — and I think he mentioned this in his opening remarks — that we have established a bureau in Vancouver to ensure we are getting the stories and getting them on the air in a timely manner.
Mr. Frappier: I do not know if you mean involving them in our actual production.
Senator Jaffer: That is right.
Mr. Frappier: Most of our staff has already been assigned. This is a work in progress. We have been working on this project for two years now. Most of these people must have training or at least relevant experience, either in the sport or in media. It is difficult to not want to get the very best people that we know are out there.
For example, if there were a French skier who has moved to Canada and now calls Canada home, it would be tough for him to knock off Jean-Luc Brassard in terms of fame and ability to tell our French viewers how all the various performers have done on the slopes. I am not sure if you meant it in that regard.
In terms of our Vancouver bureau, Anik de Repentigny, who is our reporter on site, is covering everything that concerns the Olympic Games. She is covering the preparation of all the various competition sites and the completion of the Olympic Village. She has done interviews with senior IOC people, and with anyone whose storyline is part of the Olympic build-up. Am I catching the gist of your question?
Senator Jaffer: Yes you are. I want a clarification as to whether you are involving our French-speaking community in British Columbia; people who may have come from other parts of the world but who now live in British Columbia. You have partly answered that question.
Mr. Frappier: I do not know what else I can say on the subject.
People need a good command of the language. The driver for this was not so much where they come from. Obviously, they have to be extremely competent and experienced as broadcasters or athletes, and they need an excellent command of the French language. We took the best candidates, it was that simple.
In as much as a lot of them are from Quebec, it did not start out with the objective to hire only Quebec francophones. It started with the idea of getting the best, and they are whoever they are.
Senator Jaffer: I am very much interested in your Vancouver French-language bureau. Can you tell us a bit more?
Mr. Frappier: We have a producer, cameramen and a full-time reporter on the ground all solely focused on our services. The reporter moved there in November and we have been operational since January. She feeds in storylines at least two to three times a week and delivers a lot of content, not only on our news broadcast, but within our "Vers Vancouver 2010" show, hosted by Claude Mailhot. Anik is a regular contributor for that program.
As we ramp up towards the games, we have a lot of other reporters that will be slowing up in Vancouver to do the build-up but she is the person on the ground. Obviously, she can access any of the other visual material that is produced by any the news sources in the consortium's portfolio of brands, if you will.
[Translation]
Senator Losier-Cool: Do you have the human resources, qualified staff, journalists and people necessary, or are you obliged to look outside of Canada to obtain expertise?
Mr. Frappier: We have all the resources we need right here. In fact, if I am not mistaken, Mr. Lacroix appeared before your committee and stated that in his opinion, no one covers sports better than RDS. I am very proud of that. That is very flattering for us. I would like to believe that it is true, even though it is difficult for me to be completely objective.
We have assigned over 200 people who will be on location in Vancouver and Whistler to provide French-language coverage only. The consortium as a whole has more than 1,000 people. There is no need to have double the staff in each place. Take the example of a hockey game where Canada is playing Russia for the gold medal.
Senator Losier-Cool: You are confident that Canada will take the gold!
Mr. Frappier: We certainly hope so. Only one coverage team is assigned to the Games. We cannot have broadcasters from 40 countries on site with all their equipment to broadcast the same images because there would not be enough room.
One basic source is available. The individual broadcasters, in this case the French side of the consortium, install unilateral cameras so that they can be the first to meet the athletes for interviews before or after the game. We make sure that Pierre Houde, who will be doing the play-by-play, can be seen on the screen. We have two teams for the hockey play-by-play, given the number of games. With a staff of 200 people, there is no problem as far as human resources are concerned.
The Olympic Games broadcast attracts the best employees. We do not have to go and look for them. The best cameramen and commentators come to us, because they want to be part of the Olympic adventure.
[English]
Mr. Brace: While Canada may not be in the gold medal ceremonies — though we hope they are — for the opening and closing ceremonies, we are producing our own separate coverage in English and in French, over and above what VANOC and the host broadcast is delivering. Mr. Frappier's team will be able to focus on Quebec athletes, who represent 25 per cent of the people competing there; it is a big number.
We did not want to just take a feed that was kind of blended; that kind of gave us coverage that the world would see, that would be kind of equal to everyone. We want to be a bit selfish on this one. We want to show our athletes and we needed to ensure that Mr. Frappier could show the francophone athletes and that we could show the anglophone athletes, as well. We have separate coverage embellishing what the host broadcaster is delivering.
[Translation]
Mr. Frappier: That is a good example. For the opening ceremony, the consortium has some 25 unilateral cameras.
As far as we are concerned, viewers will have the privilege of hearing the father of all Olympic commentators, Richard Garneau, who has been covering the games since 1960. Given his age, he will have a reduced workload. However, he apparently will be working for both RDS and TQS. Claude Mailhot will also be on air, as well as Chantal Macchabée.
For the interviews, we will have Alexandre Despatie. He is not a winter athlete, but he embodies youth and excellence and he knows firsthand what it is like to enter the stadium surrounded by a crowd cheering the start of the games. I find it magical that someone like him will be the first to address francophone athletes in interviews on RDS and TQS during these once-in-a-lifetime moments.
Senator Fortin-Duplessis: The Official Languages Commissioner, Mr. Graham Fraser, mentioned to the Standing Committee on Official Languages of the House of Commons that discussions are underway with some 40 cable distributors to ensure that RDS and TQS will also be available to small cable companies. Can you tell us what stage you are at in your discussions with small cable companies?
[English]
Mr. Brace: Actually, it is more than 40 companies. You were not here for the opening presentation, perhaps, but Mr. Frappier outlined the number of cable companies and the number is closer to 200 companies.
We have a department at CTV which deals directly with them. I oversee that department. We have now had contact with virtually everyone, including the bigger companies like Rogers, COGECO and Shaw, Bell TV and Star Choice. We are dealing with them directly, and they have given us their consent that they will do whatever they can to make this happen. That represents 93 per cent of the people that we need to reach. The remaining 7 per cent, as Mr. Frappier described, is made up of telecoms, which are about one half of that 7 per cent, and there is a smaller group representing less than 1 per cent, which consists of the very small cable operators across the country. We have either connected those operators directly or have been in contact through the CCSA, the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance, which is their organization, or we have written letters directly. It will be a marathon. We are working at it each and every day to try to bring people on line. The messages coming back are positive. People see it as the right thing to do. They see opportunity. Our job will continue, but we have made much progress since the last time that we came here in December of 2006.
The Chair: Less than 1 per cent of the Canadian population will not have access. Would it not be great if we could have 100 per cent of Canadians for the first time in history?
Mr. Brace: It would be wonderful, and it would be terrific. The thing is that we need to understand that universality is not there even now. Even SRC only reaches 97 per cent or 98 per cent. Unfortunately, there are communities in small areas that are not covered. To get to 100 per cent, at this point in time, I could not say that it is practical. We would not be able to do it. It would involve building transmitters and so forth. It does not make practical sense. Our heart is there.
The Chair: Thank you.
Senator Tardif: Thank you and I apologize for the delay as well.
Mr. Brace, you mentioned that you were in contact with the Vancouver Hotel Association, and that now all hotels had come on stream. A group came before this committee on March 30, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, who said there were still two hotels that had not come on stream. We did not ask the names of those hotels. Has that been settled?
Mr. Brace: No, there are still two, and we will have to deal with them. The hotel association is on side. The only thing they charged us with is to make sure Shaw can deliver it. Shaw has given us their word that they will be delivering. I am not sure of the two hotels either. I have to do more work on that, along with what I have to do in Whistler, to get widespread delivery there.
Senator Tardif: We do not have any idea of the reasons of those two hotels. Shaw Cable goes to those hotels.
Mr. Brace: Not necessarily, and that may be issue. Many hotels operate differently than what you do in your home. They will customize packages for their hotel, and they may receive it from another source such as Star Choice or Bell TV, although if they had Bell TV, it would be there. We have to figure out what is going on with those two hotels, and I understand they are two smaller hotels.
Senator Tardif: I noticed in your brief that you mentioned that the 1 per cent of the people will not be getting coverage and that the signal would not be going out to some of the motels. Is that a particular problem with the motels?
Mr. Brace: As Mr. Frappier pointed out, that small group of distributers, that1 per cent, call themselves cable companies even though they might only be in a hotel or a small area. As part of this process and the research has been quite lengthy, we are determining if, for example, a hotel in a remote part of Canada is not served, what is the percentage of francophones that actually either live in that area or frequent that hotel. We have it down to that kind of micromanaging process to ensure we cover the most possible. As I say, we cannot guarantee universality, and no one can. We are working hard to make sure we have the broadest possible coverage.
Senator Tardif: The 1 per cent that represents the distributors does not offer their services to motels.
Mr. Brace: Not necessarily. The 1 per cent represents a very small group of distributors. Some of them will be carrying it for sure. That is a percentage of the overall number of distributors and the universe they reach. For example, if the big six cover 93 per cent of the population, the remaining 7 per cent is made up by small cable operators and telecoms. That was the point.
Senator Tardif: Thank you.
[Translation]
Senator Losier-Cool: Thank you and congratulations. This is a positive and reassuring message and these are commitments that respect both official languages. I would like to discuss Web sites. For many Canadians, the Web is no longer new technology.
I would like to know what will be available on the Web: the programming, the athletes' biographies, when the coverage will begin, et cetera. Can you give us more details on these topics?
[English]
Mr. Brace: That is a question we would have written for ourselves. We are happy to answer that question.
First of all, the websites are up and running now — rdsolympiques.ca and ctvolympics.ca. They are currently carrying stories and all of our Olympic features and promotions. They are carrying biographies of athletes and results from previous Olympics, all the information that you would want leading up to the games.
The big news is that when we get to the games, everything we produce on CTV, TSN, RDS and TQS will be live streamed and available after the fact as well. If you are a high definition, broadband subscriber, you will have the ability to watch any event you want on line that is in the RDS and TQS schedule, which is all of the live events, either live or after the fact when you want them. We have put a tremendous effort into this broadcasting. It is all encompassing, and we are proud of what we have been able to achieve. We invite you to look at it.
[Translation]
Senator Losier-Cool: Is RDS there as well?
Mr. Frappier: In this case it is not the RDS Web site, but a separate site that carries the name of RDS. Just like there is an English Web site that is separate from CTV, yet bears its name.
The portal is: rdsolympiques.ca. If you visit the RDS site, a window will automatically direct you to the Olympic coverage. That is accessible already. The same applies if someone visits the TQS website. This is the only portal for the Olympic Games. We want to ensure that 100 per cent of the content is all located in the same place so it is easier for Internet users to find everything they want to see, either live or delayed.
Senator Champagne: Will the same apply for the Paralympic Games?
Mr. Frappier: Yes, that will also be the case.
Senator Losier-Cool: Those are people who have iPods.
Mr. Frappier: Precisely.
[English]
Mr. Brace: To be clear and I want to be sure I am, for the Paralympics, we will carry all of the coverage that we produce. The difference is that we are doing everything live from the Olympics. That will not be the case for the Paralympics. I do not want you to get the impression that everything will be carried live on the Paralympics. To the extent that there are pictures being produced by the host broadcaster delivering coverage of the events, we will, in all likelihood, make that available. It may not have any commentary. It may be just the sound from the venue as though you were sitting there. However, in terms of the coverage we can say will be there, it will be the number of hours we produce for the Paralympics.
Senator Champagne: The motion I will move tomorrow will ask the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Minister of Sport to encourage the consortium and VANOC to come to an agreement about the Paralympics.
I will still put my motion tomorrow because the agreement is not all set in cement for now. However, I will also include the good news that you gave us on the ice sledge hockey.
I will also ask you to do one thing. You are constantly in communication with VANOC.
[Translation]
When they held a ceremony to announce the one-year countdown, the French-language portion of their show was really the poor cousin.
You spoke earlier about the opening and the closing ceremonies. I know that it is not the duty of CTV or RDS to get involved in the content of what you are going to broadcast during those ceremonies.
May I nonetheless ask you to ensure that they are encouraged and prompted to make sure that the French portion of the opening and closing ceremonies receive the coverage that they deserve?
[English]
Mr. Brace: Absolutely. That is a fair request and we are working with VANOC. You are absolutely correct in saying that they control the show. They hired the producer, they are the ones that plan it out and they are the ones who actually approve it.
VANOC has been good in keeping us in the loop as to what they are doing. I think, also, because we are doing the coverage the way we talked about, we will be able to customize it much more than whatever has been done before.
I will take your request and we will talk to them and find out exactly what they are planning to do. We will see where we are.
Senator Champagne: The last time they were here I made this request of them and they told me that the choreographer was French. This is not what we expect.
Mr. Brace: I think you are referring to the content.
Senator Champagne: To tell me they did their part for French while hiring a choreographer, this is not what French- speaking people in Canada are expecting for the opening and closing ceremonies.
[Translation]
Mr. Frappier: On April 24, I made a presentation in Vancouver to the new advisory committee on official languages that was created by VANOC. I got to know the president of this committee, Jacques Gauthier, very well. We have held many discussions over the past year. Jacques is very proud of being involved in this Olympic adventure and has staked his reputation on it. He was surprised to see the scope of the French-language programming. Knowing Jacques and having heard the committee's comments, I would be very surprised if it happened again.
Senator Champagne: With your permission, we will be counting on you as we did with Mr. Gauthier last week.
Mr. Frappier: You can count on us.
Senator Comeau: I would like to follow up on the comments of Senator Champagne concerning the motion she will be introducing in the Senate.
Should this motion concerning the Paralympic Games and calling for the minister to be in contact with you to "encourage" you be adopted, how would this be perceived by your group?
[English]
Mr. Brace: This is a consultative process. We are trying to do what is right for Canadians and trying to show the games in the proper and the most complete manner, whether it is the Olympics or the Paralympics. I know that the Paralympics, sometimes, are thought of as "the poor cousin" — as I believe you said, senator. They are smaller games and they do not get the coverage. Even at this point, our plans are to do more than ever before. We are open to comments and complements even at this stage.
Senator Comeau: I am talking about the minister. The Senate will be moving a motion. If the Senate passes the motion, the motion will say that the minister has to contact you. VANOC is not doing the coverage. I think they would be contacting you.
Senator Champagne: They own the rights.
Senator Comeau: I am trying to picture the reaction within your halls to a minister giving you a phone call.
Mr. Brace: Let me pass it to my politically-savvy colleague.
Senator Comeau: I do not know the answer. One should never ask the question unless one knows the answer. However, in this case, I really do not know the answer. I seriously do not know the answer and it is one of those rare instances when I asked a question without knowing the answer.
[Translation]
David Goldstein, Senior Vice-President, Regulatory Affairs, CTVglobemedia Inc., Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium: We hold discussions with the minister and Canadian Heritage regularly. If the motion is adopted, there will be no problem with having these consultations.
Senator Comeau: It will not be perceived as interference?
Mr. Goldstein: No, I do not think so.
Senator Comeau: That is good to know. That encourages us to support the motion put forward by Senator Champagne.
[English]
Mr. Brace: I would like to comment. We are all in this together. Whether it is our work with the cable or satellite companies or the objectives you want to achieve, we are hoping to help each other. We may be coming to you and saying, "Could you give us support in an area, if we are having difficulty with the two hotels?" et cetera.
I think that we are hoping that this is not "government and us." We are hoping this is something we are doing together for the benefit of the entire country. That is how we like to look at it.
[Translation]
Senator Champagne: I would like to point out that the motion calls for both the ministers involved to encourage VANOC, which has the rights and you, who are the broadcasters, to reach an agreement as quickly as possible ensuring that we will see both types of Olympic Games. I do not see that this is offensive to either party. I drafted the motion and I know its content.
[English]
Mr. Brace: I think we are already a long way down the road, so I think we will make you happy.
Senator Champagne: Good.
[Translation]
Senator Mockler: I would like to thank our witnesses for appearing before us today. The Official Languages Commissioner told the Standing Committee on Official Languages of the House of Commons that the consortium should persevere in finding solutions so that all Canadians, regardless of where they live or whether they speak English or French, can enjoy equal access to the games.
The Official Languages Commissioner told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages that the consortium should persevere in finding solutions so that all Canadians, whether they speak English or French, can have equal access to the games.
In your opinion, will Canadians have access to complete coverage of the games, in French and English, across the country?
[English]
Mr. Brace: The answer is that the vast majority will. I cannot guarantee universality. It will not happen. If I recall the transcript correctly, Mr. Fraser said anything short of 100 per cent is not acceptable. I am paraphrasing, but it was something to that effect, and I am saying that it will not be 100 per cent. We cannot guarantee 100 per cent, nor can anyone else.
To be up in the neighbourhood of 98 per cent, if we can do that, we have really achieved what we need to achieve, in both languages.
[Translation]
Senator Mockler: As concerns the Atlantic provinces, what do you think the percentage of coverage will be? I would like to see 100 per cent, but I think that 99 per cent is acceptable as well. Will Acadians have equal access to the games as compared to the rest of the country?
[English]
Mr. Brace: I do. If we can achieve what we want to achieve with the cable companies, we should be in excess of 95 per cent, and I am looking for 97 per cent or 98 per cent. That is what we are targeting, so yes.
Senator Jaffer: Have you looked at alternative solutions to providing equitable access of equal quality of broadcast, for example, satellite in community centres? I know that you have, Mr. Brace, been candid, and I truthfully appreciate that. You said 100 per cent is not possible, but we all know that we live coast to coast to coast, and it is a very large country, and people do not have access because of where they live. Have you looked at other alternatives?
Mr. Brace: In terms of carriage, one of the most positive things we have done to get us even outside of working with the cable companies is APTN has come on board. They will carry eight hours a day of Olympics in the French language. I know it is not this committee's concern necessarily, but they are also carrying it in indigenous languages. That has never been done before. They are producing the Olympics. We are very proud of that.
As you know, when this conversation started in December of 2006, not long after we had the rights, there was a big conversation as to why can we not come to terms with SRC. If we were to put forward a solution that was the best solution, what we had on the table then would have been the best solution, but we tried to do that deal and come to an arrangement on three separate occasions. As recently as this past February, we finally closed that chapter of the book because we just could not come to terms. In front of the CRTC, Chairman von Finckenstein said, "Is there no way you can get together with them?" I said we have tried, but we did not have a meeting of the minds. I also said it was getting very late in the game. As you know, building a broadcast centre, booking facilities, hiring 200 people to deliver the games is a very involved process, along with planning the scheduling and selling the advertising, so it really was beyond the timeframe where we felt it would be possible.
That would have been the best solution, Senator Jaffer. I think we have been incredibly aggressive. We have looked at every possible solution, as I see it, short of building transmitters, which as I said is not practical. The progress we made has been terrific. We are proud of what we have achieved, and the work is not finished yet. I hope that answers your question and gives you a feeling of comfort, because we do feel we are making a lot of progress here.
Senator Jaffer: I know I am pushing, but I will try again. Have you considered putting satellites in community centres so that communities that cannot get access will get access?
Mr. Brace: We have not looked specifically at the community centres. First of all, the vast majority of community centres have cable or satellite anyway. If we did that study, and we have not, but I think if we did, and with the free views, I think that will be addressed anyway for the most part.
[Translation]
Senator Tardif: Many independent French-language producers broadcast French-language content in Quebec, but many others do so outside Quebec. Could they help to produce French-language content for the Olympic Games?
[English]
Mr. Brace: I will pass to Mr. Frappier, but I think a comment Mr. Frappier made earlier was related to this question, in that first and foremost we want the best. We also wanted to make sure Canadians who work in this business had an experience, francophone or anglophone. This is a tremendous opportunity for them. I have been at every Olympic Games since 1976, and I know the feeling, and I know what this brings to you in terms of emotion. There is nothing like it. To give Canadians, francophones and anglophones, a chance is a priority for us. It is also a priority for our company to make sure that our people within our company have the first opportunity, and why not? They are people who have been loyal to us. We want to give some of that back to them.
Mr. Frappier, may want to elaborate on the process.
[Translation]
Mr. Frappier: I think that Mr. Brace answered most of your question. However, I would like to add one thing. Broadcasting a live event requires talent and skills that are different from what most independent producers have. For the most part, they produce shows that are pre-programmed. These shows are then sold to networks like Groupe Astral. These are pre-programmed shows that go out at a specific time.
The broadcasting of live events is a specialized area. As I said earlier, the talent must be drawn from within networks that are used to doing this type of work.
If you look at the programming agenda of 95 per cent of Quebec companies, aside from the news reports, almost all the programming is delayed and only very occasionally live. So live programming represents a very low percentage of their programming schedule.
At RDS, 65 per cent of the 8,500 hours of content is live. This network is used to broadcasting live, that is its area of expertise. Quite frankly, most of the people we need must come from areas other than independent production.
What Rick said earlier is also very true. I would never be able to look at people who work in live broadcasting in the eye and tell them, "The biggest show in town is here, you are the best, but we are not going to use your services." It is difficult to say this type of thing to these people because everyone wants to be part of the adventure.
Senator Tardif: Have you had any requests from independent French-language producers from outside Quebec?
Mr. Frappier: No. To my knowledge, no one has offered their services. No one has made any request of that kind.
Senator Tardif: And could they request that if they wanted to?
Mr. Frappier: The event team is already in place. The person would have to have an amazing talent that is very specific to our needs. If it is a question of pre-Olympic content, to be perfectly honest, we already have people who are developing that. The vignettes are already being broadcast. I simply want to be honest with you. It would be difficult, but if someone were to turn up and show us something fantastic, we would be crazy not to listen to them.
Senator Tardif: Often, francophone communities want to see their reality reflected to them. For example, the history of an athlete or a member of a community could be profiled. This could be a venture for a francophone producer from Alberta or Saskatchewan.
Mr. Frappier: In such a case, I would encourage you to invite these people to contact us. We are already searching for those kinds of stories. It is easy to make short documentaries on well-known athletes, because we know who they are. We are looking for and hoping to discover more amusing or more interesting stories. As Mr. Brace was saying, our goal is to promote the athletes. We are not only talking about the highest level of athletes, the medal hopefuls, but about people who have a wonderful story to tell, those who have come from far away. It could be an athlete from the Paralympic Games, a soldier who has unfortunately lost the use of his legs, but plays sled hockey and was selected to be a member of the Canadian team. We are hungry for those kinds of stories.
Senator Tardif: In that regard, we have a unique opportunity to promote the community, the athlete and also to make the francophonie better known outside of Quebec.
Mr. Frappier: If you have any storied like that, please send them to us.
[English]
Mr. Brace: I hope you have had an opportunity to watch our campaign Imagine, which does exactly what you are talking about right now. We have brought together anglophone and francophone athletes and done individual features on them. These are one-minute vignettes. However, we do not simply do a feature on them; it does not just talk about their sport. One athlete might talk about his or her sport while another might talk about the music or movies he or she likes. By the end of the four or five vignettes we do, you feel like you know the athlete; it humanizes the athlete. That is important because it will create the interest and create these people as heroes as we move down the road.
[Translation]
Senator Fortin-Duplessis: My question is for Mr. Brace. You said that broadcasters would be reaching 98 per cent of the Canadian audience. However, 2 per cent will not be able to see the games in both official languages. Where are the Canadians that make up that 2 per cent? What provinces do they live in?
[English]
Mr. Brace: Allow me to clarify. Our objective is to hit 98 per cent. It would be terrific if we could get that far, but if we can get the 96 per cent to 98 per cent, that is the range we are playing in. I want to make that clarification.
[Translation]
Senator Fortin-Duplessis: I had understood that you would be reaching 98 per cent of the population.
[English]
Mr. Brace: In a perfect world, we may be able to get to 98 per cent. I want to ensure that is clear. In terms of where the 2 per cent or 3 per cent are, they are really spread out. They are outside of Quebec and outside of the portion of the Ottawa region because a good number of francophones in the Ottawa area can receive TQS. The remaining 2 per cent is spread across the country, and not equally because —
[Translation]
Senator Fortin-Duplessis: I would like to know what region they live in. There are some in the Ottawa region. There must be some elsewhere as well.
[English]
Mr. Brace: I have a list here that talks about the number of francophone households in each province across the country. It will be spread as a percentage of the total number. For example, in Quebec, you have 6.2 million francophones; in New Brunswick, you have 204,000; in Prince Edward Island, you only have 1,000. It is not linear, or the same number; there are pockets across the country. There will be areas — for example, in New Brunswick — that would have a higher number of people because there is a higher population.
[Translation]
Mr. Frappier: Is that the gist of your question?
Senator Fortin-Duplessis: I would like to know where they live in Canada.
Mr. Frappier: It is almost impossible to answer that question. We have to rely on mathematics and on statistics.
According to the last 2007-2008 Statistics Canada report, a given region, like Alberta, represents a certain percentage of the overall population. In the case of Alberta, we know that we are reaching 94 per cent of the total population of the province by cable and by satellite. We therefore have to use certain equations to arrive at the percentage of people who will be reached. However, it is impossible to say that we reach someone who lives 20 kilometres from Red Deer or 50 kilometres south of Calgary. We have to rely on the development of cable and satellite services in each of the regions.
To come back to Mr. Brace's answer, that figure is probably representative of all markets. I presume that cable companies and satellite services have developed regional markets in somewhat the same way. To answer your question, we would have to check with each home in Canada, which would be an astronomical number of households.
Senator Fortin-Duplessis: My question is a difficult one. It sought to identify a given region in a given province. Of course, many people in the country do not have cable TV. However, if service gaps have been noted in certain specific regions, for example, in an entire village where the service is not offered, I would have liked to hear about it.
Mr. Frappier: We have to use our judgment here. If there is a high concentration of francophones in a given community, it is very unlikely that it would be excluded by the cable company serving this community, whether it be Shaw Direct or Bell.
We have seen, thanks to our efforts to unscramble signals, that cable companies know their markets. These companies already offer French-language services and they are on our subscribers' list. The RDS network has 600,000 subscribers outside Quebec. There may not be many of them living in Red Deer, but there are a great many in New Brunswick, in Northern Ontario and in Manitoba.
I doubt that there are many communities with a large francophone population that are not covered by signal unscrambling. There may be a few isolated cases; a francophone may live in a remote region of Alberta where he would be unable to receive these services.
Senator Losier-Cool: And some people choose not to subscribe to cable.
Mr. Frappier: That is right. I would have liked to have given you a more accurate answser.
Senator Fortin-Duplessis: It is a difficult task.
Mr. Frappier: Of a population of some 35 million, it is difficult to know where everyone lives and what services they receive.
The Chair: You mentioned your objective of reaching 97 per cent of Canadians during the broadcast of the Games. Of this figure, what percentage of Canadians will have access to the games broadcast in one of our two official languages, that is, English or French? We talk about broadcasting, but there is also the question of access to consider.
[English]
Mr. Brace: Yes, that is exactly the point. The 98 per cent is if we hit on all cylinders and we absolutely deliver it. If not, it will be slightly less than that. That would be the ability in French or in English. English will be higher because we have more platforms, a greater ability to distribute and more television services. Therefore, it will be higher. The French coverage should be in the neighbourhood between 96 per cent and 98 per cent. That is what we are targeting.
The Chair: French coverage?
Mr. Brace: French coverage.
The Chair: To 90 per cent of Canadians?
Mr. Brace: Either 96 per cent or 97 per cent, and in a perfect world, 98 per cent.
Senator Champagne: Mr. Brace, you said a while ago that you have had something to do with the Olympics since 1976. That makes two of us.
Mr. Brace: I was much younger then.
Senator Champagne: So was I. In 1976, I was the English announcer for the opening and closing ceremonies in the Olympic stadium in Montreal. I introduced the Queen.
Mr. Brace: The public address announcer.
Senator Champagne: Yes, in the stadium.
While trying to find out what was going on with the Paralympics, I was told that the reason the schedule was not announced was more than likely a problem with sponsorship. Is that true? You have given us a schedule today, for which I thank you.
Mr. Brace: I would say yes and no. The popularity of the Paralympics as a televised sport is relatively modest. As a result, you would expect that the sponsorship, in terms of being able to sell it, would be difficult as well. The way we are doing it is packaging it so that you buy one package and you will get both.
Despite the fact that it will have modest audiences and that the interest from a sponsorship standpoint will not be where the Olympics are, we still recognize that it is important.
The bigger issue is scheduling. How will we schedule it? Once you get past the Olympics on CTV, for example, we get back into the regular schedule, and to take something out of the schedule in order to put something that will drive a smaller audience is a decision that we have to consider. It is not as big an issue for an RDS or a TSN, although they will have their regular schedules of hockey and other sports that are on throughout the winter months.
I think you will hear that the commitment that we have made, even with those barriers or those hurdles in mind and in front of us, is that I want to make you happy. I keep saying that. Maybe the best thing is to wait to hear what we will do when we do make our final announcement, and please judge us then.
[Translation]
Senator Champagne: I understand the problem. I will probably watch the biathlon, for example; I find it extraordinary that people with disabilities can participate in such an event. But I would not want to have to watch it at 2 a.m. I know that the Paralympic Games are seldom broadcast live. There are undoubtedly sponsorship problems, since the viewing audience is much smaller, but it might be a good idea to provide some coverage of these games so as to teach people what the Paralympic Games are all about, what type of sports are presented and whether the athletes are men or women. Once we get interested in these games, we want to follow them more and more. In all the news reports and stories leading up to the Olympics, is anything being done to spark people's interest in the Paralympic Games?
Mr. Frappier: We have not yet started production, but there is a commitment. Rick was talking about vignettes so that viewers could get to know the Canadian athletes. Approximately 15 Paralympic athletes will be showcased and we will be promoting their vignettes. We do not want to do it right now because they will get lost among all the other vignettes. We want to do it at the right time.
For many years, RDS has had a show, "Défi sportif," which covers between 10 and 15 hours of competition by disabled athletes. This particular competition took place in Montreal last weekend, at some five locations.
We have always sought to have high-caliber athletes such as Chantal Petitclerc be part of our Paralympic Games broadcast, depending on their commitments. I am not making an official announcement right now, but I am giving you an idea of events to come.
We already endeavour to maximize the visibility of disabled athletes through "Défi sportif," and we will also have pre-Olympic programming. Claude Mailhot, in his show "Vers Vancouver 2010," will be ensuring this coverage by conducting interviews and reporting on event sites for the Paralympic Games, just as is being done for the Olympic Games. That is our commitment. I share your opinion on this matter.
[English]
Senator Champagne: Live television is fantastic. I have done enough years of live television that I know how difficult it is, but I also know how exciting it is, whether you are in front of the camera, behind the camera, or up in the booth or in the mobile unit. We will be looking forward to seeing all the good things that you will be doing in the next year.
Mr. Brace: Thank you.
Senator Tardif: Before the committee comes to an end, I want to verify statistics once again to ensure that we have them, because there have been some changes in the numbers that have been given as the committee hearing has evolved.
At one point, we understood we might have 98 per cent or 99 per cent of the people in Canada covered or having access, and in the last response we were down to 96 per cent. What is the correct percentage of people who will have access in both official languages?
Mr. Brace: Our target is 98 per cent. As I pointed out earlier, if we can hit all of our targets, it will be a bit more than 98 per cent if we can hit on all cylinders and have every cable company delivering the signals as we hope will happen. In a worst case scenario, we would be somewhere around 96 per cent, but that is not practical because we already have people on board.
To give a bit more framework, we are talking, outside of Quebec, about 9,000 homes in total. The percentages that I am quoting mean we are talking about 9,000 homes, so the difference of 1 per cent is not great. Obviously, we would like to hit it, but 1 per cent of 9,000 — I do not do math well in public — takes you down to 90 homes. We are talking about a difference between 96 per cent and 99 per cent of 360 homes. That is the range.
Senator Tardif: As well, you mentioned that the Vancouver hotels were all on stream except for two, but you said that Whistler was a problem?
Mr. Brace: No, I would not say Whistler is a problem. I just have not dealt with it yet.
Senator Tardif: Do you know how many hotels in Whistler would not be providing this service?
Mr. Brace: Unfortunately, Whistler does not have an association, to the best of my knowledge, and perhaps Senator Jaffer can help me, so it is more difficult to get the information. The great thing about Vancouver is that the hotel association has all of their members, and they can tell us exactly what is covered. That is the challenge that we have. In Whistler, you are dealing with a lot of major hotel chains.
Senator Tardif: Are they sister hotels to hotels in Vancouver?
Mr. Brace: It does not actually work that way; it has been a learning experience for me. The Four Seasons is there, for example, and the Westin Hotel. However, they do not all carry the same packages. I thought they might have been part of the Vancouver Hotel Association, but they are not. I am digging into that now, so I do not have a report on that issue. You position that as a problem, but I position it as some work that is not yet complete.
Senator Tardif: Are you optimistic that you will get the 100 per cent?
Mr. Brace: I think so. It is in the interest of the hotels. If you have the signal into the hotel, why would you not carry it? If they do not, we will be coming back to you folks and asking for help.
Senator Tardif: It is be important that you indicate that to us because the report is not coming in. We would like that information.
Mr. Brace: Absolutely, let us do it together.
[Translation]
Senator Losier-Cool: My question is not necessarily about TV broadcasting, websites or the Olympic Games. It goes to Mr. Frappier. I asked earlier whether you had the skills and staff you need in terms of human resources. What percentage of sports reporters and other types of journalist are women?
Mr. Frappier: For RDS, the percentage of positions occupied by women is between 35 and 38 per cent. And that is quite an accomplishment! It is not just about opening doors to women; we have to find women who are interested in this non-traditional field.
For coverage of the games, the team includes: Chantal Macchabée, sports commentator with RDS; Anouk Grignon-L'Anglais; Danielle Sauvageau, former coach of the Canadian women's hockey team and champion at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games; Claudine Douville, the most versatile woman I know in the area of sports — I would never want to compete with her in a question-and-answer game, because she would definitely win; Mélanie Turgeon, former ski champion; Valérie Sardin; Hélène Pelletier; the Dubreuil-Lauzon couple, who medalled in figure skating; Mélanie Marois and Anik de Repentigny. These ten women are all part of our talented on-air team.
The Chair: That figure corresponds to about one third.
Mr. Frappier: For the women's competitions, it is mostly women who will be doing the analysis and play-by-play. It depends on each individual's talents. Whether they are men or women, they are chosen first and foremost on the basis of their talent. And my list shows that several women are already part of our team.
Senator Mockler: Despite our common objectives, I have some concerns. When I was Minister of Sport, I was, at one time, canvassed to support the Vancouver Games, namely from people in New Brunswick. You indicated that 25 per cent of the team members are from Quebec.
Mr. Frappier: I was referring to the Canadian Olympic team.
Senator Mockler: You have built on that fact. Each athlete wants to be seen and become known. Sometimes we must use big names, such as those that you mentioned. From New Brunswick we have Mylène Thériault. For the Paralympic Games, there is Mr. Durepos from Fredericton.
Here is my concern. The percentage of CBC French-language broadcasting in the Atlantic region is only 1.4 per cent in the case of RDI. Given what I have heard today, I am reassured to see that you are targeting the maximum coverage possible, that is 95 per cent or 96 per cent, and I congratulate you.
Mr. Frappier, you mentioned a number of well-known individuals who will be part of your team. Is there anyone from outside Quebec, either from Acadia or Alberta, who will be part of the broadcasting team for the presentation of these Vancouver and Canadian Olympic Games?
Mr. Frappier: As I said earlier, it is very difficult to ensure that everyone is represented. The aim is to have all regions of Canada represented, while offering the best possible coverage of the Games, by using technical and other resources to get the job done. If we discover an athlete from, for example, the Acadie-Bathurst region, who has become a champion, who has opted for a media career and has specialized in sports analysis or as a commentator, then certainly that person will be part of the team. However, I have no control over where people come from. All I can do is ensure that my team is made up of the best.
This is probably not the most satisfactory response for you, but our goal is to hire the best talent. Maybe what we should do is search through our sporting records to find francophone athletes from regions outside Quebec. However, I do not know anyone who fits that category, so I cannot answer you.
Senator Mockler: Whether they come from Quebec or elsewhere, the objective is certainly to have the best representation at our games in our official languages. I just want to be sure that we will be able to see the outstanding athletes from the Atlantic region. That way, a connection will be established more rapidly with our small communities.
Mr. Frappier: I think I know what you are getting at. During the coverage of the games, we will have our own teams at all the sites, and we will have editorial independence and independent production control. The interviews with our Canadian athletes who participate in a given sport will not be chosen based on language, but rather on the fact that they are Canadian athletes.
We will be broadcasting Canada-wide. An athlete from Alberta who is considered a medal hopeful, whether English or French, will be interviewed on RDS and TQS. In the same way, a Paralympic athlete from Acadie-Bathurst or another region who participates in sled hockey will automatically be included in our coverage, simply because that person is a Canadian athlete. The coverage will be the same across Canada. We do not design our coverage just to please Quebec viewers, and we will not overlook English-speaking athletes either. Our goal is certainly not to say that an athlete from Ontario will prove less interesting to Quebecers.
Senator Champagne: During the Olympic Games, everyone is Canadian.
The Chair: I would like to sincerely thank you for having accepted the committee's invitation. Together, we are working toward the same objective. If there is anything the committee can do to support you in your endeavours, please do not hesitate to contact us.
(The committee continued in camera.)