Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Official Languages
Issue 5 - Evidence - Meeting of April 28, 2008
OTTAWA, Monday, April 28, 2008
The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages met this day at 5:05 p.m. to study and to report from time to time on the application of the Official Languages Act and of the regulations and directives made under it, within those institutions subject to the Act.
Senator Maria Chaput (Chair) in the chair.
[Translation]
The Chair: Dear witnesses, it is my honour to welcome you to the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages. My name is Senator Maria Chaput from Manitoba and I chair this committee. To begin with, I would like to introduce the committee members who are present today.
On my left, you will find senators Pierrette Ringuette from New Brunswick, Andrée Champagne, our Vice-Chair, from Quebec and Gerald Comeau from Nova Scotia. On my right, senators Lowell Murray from Ontario and Rose- Marie Losier-Cool from New Brunswick.
I would like to introduce the five witnesses who have been invited to take part in our round table. On my left is Annie Laflamme, Director of French Language Television Policy and Applications at the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission; Deborah Drisdell, Director of Strategic Planning and Government Relations at the National Film Board of Canada; Jules Chiasson, Manager of Affiliated Stations and the Francophonie; André Courchesne, Director of the Strategic Initiatives Division at the Canada Council for the Arts and Anne Tanguay, Manager of the Translation Services and champion of official languages at the National Art Centre. Welcome to our committee.
The purpose of today's round table is to examine the state of francophone culture in Canada and, more particularly, in minority francophone communities. All the witnesses represent government organizations. We have already met with community associations from Western and Northern Canada and we intend to meet with representatives from other communities at a later date as well as national associations from the arts and culture sector.
Witnesses, the committee would like to thank you for having accepted our invitation and for having travelled here today in order to appear. I would now invite you to take the floor. At the conclusion of your presentations, we will proceed with senators' questions.
Annie Laflamme, Director, French Language Television Policy and Applications, Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission: Madam Chair, I am the Director of the French Language Television Policy and Applications at the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, which is better known by the acronym CRTC. I would like to thank you for this invitation to be with you today to discuss the implementation of Part VII of the Official Languages Act since the 2005 amendments.
It is important first of all to clearly define the Commission's role and mandate. Unlike departments and other government agencies, the CRTC does not deliver or manage programs or services. It does not finance any activities. Rather, its role involves granting, renewing or mending broadcasting licences, developing new policies or reviewing existing policies, and regulating and monitoring all aspects of the Canadian broadcasting system. The CRTC is a quasi- judicial agency working within the framework of the "Broadcasting Act'' and the "Telecommunications Act.''
[English]
I remind you that the Broadcasting Act stipulates, among other things, that the Canadian Broadcasting System extend a range of broadcasting services in English and French to all Canadians as resources become available. It should also reflect Canadian linguistic duality.
This responsibility does not mean that the CRTC does not have an obligation toward official languages communities. On the contrary; the Official Languages Act — specifically, Part VII — does indeed influence our work.
Since 2003, the CRTC has been one of the institutions designated by the federal government as having a specific responsibility to prepare and submit to the Department of Canadian Heritage an action plan on the implementation of section 41 of the Official Languages Act, as well as a report on the results achieved.
[Translation]
As you know, Part VII of the Official Languages Act was enhanced in November 2005. Federal institutions are now obligated to take positive measures to promote linguistic duality and to support the development of minority official language communities.
The act does not provide a definition of what is meant by positive measures. In his most recent annual report, the Commissioner of Official Languages proposed the following definition: an action taken by the government or institutions to produce an actual result. Taking inspiration from the Commissioner of Official Languages' wise counsel, particularly his audit report on the CRTC's implementation of section 41, we have developed an action plan that takes into account this new obligation found in the act.
[English]
We are proud to have created a discussion group with representatives of official languages communities. The group's mandate is to provide a forum in which the CRTC and the communities can identify ways to maximize community participation in CRTC'S public proceedings and ensure that their realities are taken into account in the commission's decisions.
These meetings provide opportunities to discuss trends in the areas of broadcasting and telecommunications, to inform communities about the commission's public proceedings of interest to them and to discuss tools and methods for improving their interventions at public hearings.
We have had two meetings so far, both of which have solicited a great deal of interest and discussion on the part of the organizations present.
[Translation]
In our view, the participation of community representatives at these meetings is consistent with the principle of active citizen participation, which was identified by the Commissioner of Official Languages as being one of the keys to ensuring implementation of the new Part VII.
The CRTC's action plan for the years 2008 to 2011 also anticipates awareness and training activities on Part VII of section 41 of the Official Languages Act for employees and senior management. I should mention that these activities have already been ongoing for two years now. We are therefore organizing activities inside the CRTC in order to provide employees and senior management with a better understanding of minority language communities. We intend to continue these efforts.
We believe that the more CRTC executives know about the realities, needs and concerns of minority linguistic communities, the better the decisions taken in the area of broadcasting will be.
[English]
By way of example, the CRTC decided last July to make it mandatory to distribute the Réseau de l'information signal on basic digital service in all anglophone markets in the country. The same goes for the distribution of Newsworld in all francophone markets.
This decision will enable French-language communities in anglophone markets and English-language communities in francophone markets to receive quality news programming in their own language.
Last year, the CRTC also granted three new French-language community radio licenses — in Ottawa, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
[Translation]
Public hearings that ended last Thursday in Gatineau dealt with the distribution of television channels in Canada. The media focused on the fees sort by the general-interest networks, but the considerations and issues involved go far beyond that.
We are undertaking a complete re-examination of distribution policies, including distribution of channels in official language minority situations. Although minority language communities chose not to participate in these hearings, the work that has been done to increase the awareness of Commission executives to the realities of francophone Canada will stand them in good stead.
In conclusion, awareness, communication, consultation, coordination and accountability; those words sum up how the CRTC intends to comply with section 41 of the Official Languages Act.
The Chair: Thank you, Ms. Laflamme. Now let us turn to Ms. Deborah Drisdell.
[English]
Deborah Drisdell, Director, Strategic Planning and Government Relations, National Film Board of Canada: Thank you for the invitation to appear before you this evening. In addition to being the Director of Strategic Planning and Government Relations, I am the champion of official languages for the National Film Board.
Our government film commissioner and president, Tom Perlmutter sends his regrets. Unfortunately, he needed to be in Quebec today.
[Translation]
The National Film Board's mission is to produce and distribute distinctive, original and innovative audiovisual products in order to make Canadians and people of other nations aware of the value and perspectives of Canadians and to inform them of matters of public interest.
In carrying out this mission, it is important for the NFB to continually discover, nurture, and own the talent and creativity of existing and budding filmmakers from all regions throughout Canada and the various communities, be they linguistic, ethnocultural or Aboriginal.
[English]
The National Film Board has a long-standing commitment to linguistic duality and it is inherent in our very fabric. For the past 40 years, our programming branches have been divided between our two official languages with both branches having a commitment to fostering Aboriginal voices across the country as well.
We are unique in fostering francophone Aboriginal communities through our French program and initiatives such as the Wapikoni Mobile, which is a mobile production centre that goes through communities.
I will explain briefly the structure of the National Film Board and the way in which it operates, particularly in the francophone community.
[Translation]
The French program's main office is located in Montreal, and is run by a director general. We have three executive producers, one responsible for Quebec production, another responsible for French-language animation across Canada and still another responsible for francophone production outside Quebec, so in minority settings for the most part.
To carry this out, we have the Quebec headquarters and two productions studios outside Quebec. The Acadia studio is responsible for all francophone production in Eastern Canada. This office which is located in Moncton was opened in 1974 thanks to a major contribution from the Acadian cinematographer, Léonard Forest.
Since its inception, the Acadia studio has produced over 70 films and has co-produced more than 20 films with producers from the region. Most of these films are documentaries. Over 30 filmmakers have made their mark and transmitted their hopes and fears, their history and their literature, their roots and their differences. The Ontario and Western Canada office, located in Toronto, has a studio for francophone production derived from Ontario and the western provinces. The studio assists francophone producers outside Quebec from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and not to forget, the Great North, including the Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories.
So many provinces and territories, and such a diversity of narratives. Our studios produce and organize shoots, and screenings, and launch various Canada-wide competitions such as the short documentary competition "Tremplin,'' the all-new platform video competition "Engage-toi,'' and the animation competition "Anime ton univers francophone,'' to mention but just a few examples.
In carrying this out, our studios work with a number of partners, including producers, filmmakers, and francophone associations and colleges throughout the country. They support the media community through a number of projects. They run several training workshops for existing and budding filmmakers on script writing, production, postproduction, and, especially nowadays, high definition production.
In 2006-2007, 40 per cent of NFB Productions were produced in French, in other words, 52 of the 127 productions in that year. Of those films, 27 per cent were produced outside Quebec. Productions such as the film Junior, which won an award for the first time last weekend in Toronto, attest to the vibrancy in a small community in Quebec City. The first-ever short film produced by Daniel Léger, a young Acadian man, entitled "Un dimanche à 105 ans'', was part of the Tremplin program.
In addition to its production studios, the NFB is very active in disseminating productions within communities that are not well served from a cultural standpoint in Canada. The NFB is active in communities through partnerships with libraries, and is involved in school communities, particularly minority schools, where it takes part in cultural gatherings and festivals such as the Semaine de la Francophonie.
The five-year NFB strategic plan was unveiled last week following a Canada-wide consultative process with francophone and anglophone stakeholders from our industry. Nowadays, the NFB is able to reach all Canadians through channels which, until very recently, were not available.
The cornerstone of our new strategic plan is the 24-7 availability of NFB films and our unique national-interest works, for the benefit of all Canadians. However, we are particularly concerned about the Internet service, where 70 per cent of the content is in English.
Over the next five years, the NFB will increase its presence in the lives of Canadians through technology, including the Internet, downloading, and E-Cinema. We are particularly proud of our E-Cinema pilot project which is currently in Acadia. In January 2008, we inaugurated one of the first Canadian film networks as part of a pilot project bringing together five francophone communities in Acadia.
To this end, we have provided broadcasts quality projectors and HD servers. The NFB's weekly programming schedule is transmitted overnight by high-speed Internet. So, for the first time, communities that were poorly served now enjoy a rich cinematographic and cultural experience in their own language. The initial results are very positive, with many satisfied customers enjoying the service.
I will leave you with some program brochures today, in case you are interested. The NFB intends to develop a funding plan and roll out a national film network, which will enable the NFB's films and Canadian cultural productions to be broadcast in communities that have been deprived of such services. This ambitious project will require, however, the cooperation and support of several public and private partnerships.
The E-Cinema project, and a number of regional production studio initiatives have only been possible thanks to the invaluable support provided through the Interdepartmental Partnership with the Official-Language Communities, otherwise known as IPOLC, which is unfortunately ending this year.
The NFB's commitment to minority language communities will continue, but the loss of resources available through this program, on top of an already very tight budget, will undoubtedly hurt our activities. Nevertheless, there is some good news.
[English]
We are heartened by the recent release of the report of the Government of Canada's consultations on linguistic duality and official languages by Bernard Lord. In his report, Mr. Lord underscored the importance of culture in the continued sustainability of minority language communities.
Mr. Lord wrote:
[Translation]
The importance of culture is undeniable, not only in terms of the communities' vitality, but also as a source of economic development and openness towards others.
The NFB supports the fifth recommendation in Mr. Lord's report, which states that the next stage of the Official Languages Action Plan should include a focus on arts and culture.
[English]
In conclusion, the NFB strongly believes that the vitality of a community, even the vitality of a country, lies in its cultural expression and development. The NFB works tirelessly to create, innovate and distribute cultural goods to all Canadians. We work to inspire and to connect Canadians from across the country. I thank you for your time and I will be happy to answer questions.
[Translation]
The Chair: Thank you very much, Ms. Drisdell. We will now turn to Mr. Chiasson, from CBC/Radio-Canada.
Jules Chiasson, Manager, Affiliated Stations/Francophonie, CBC: Madam Chair, and members of the committee, I wish to thank you for the opportunity of participating in today's round table discussion on francophone culture in Canada. As a Nova Scotian Acadian, I have a keen interest, both personally and professionally, in today's discussion.
I have been involved with the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française as president and the Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse as a provincial cultural coordinator in the 1970s.
Professionally, my 30-year career at CBC/Radio-Canada has led me to work primarily in the Atlantic Provinces in various positions in radio. For the last two years, I have been national coordinator responsible for the implementation of Part VIII, section 41 of the Official Languages Act. In this capacity, I prepare CBC/Radio-Canada's annual action plan and annual status reports regarding the implementation of section 41 of the act.
As you can see, I live and breathe this issue.
[English]
I believe that CBC/Radio-Canada plays a crucial role in maintaining Canada's cultural sovereignty and fostering a shared sense of national identity across this country.
We contribute to the development and vitality of Canada's official language minority communities through our presence in their communities, through our programming and through our partnerships. Given the theme of the committee's study, my remarks will be specific to Radio-Canada's efforts.
[Translation]
The successful integration of French radio, television and Internet services in 2005 has created stronger regional roots for our services to Canadians. By pooling our resources, we now can provide deeper and richer local and regional programming to the regions we service. More important, integration has given francophone and Acadian communities more visibility on all of our platforms — radio, television and Internet.
[English]
Radio-Canada's contribution to the cultural development of francophone and Acadian communities is significant. We actively seek out programming opportunities, covering hundreds of concerts, festivals and community events throughout our country.
[Translation]
In 2006-2007, we showcased over 300 songs from francophone and Acadian artists on our airwaves every week — that's more than 16,000 songs played in one year alone! We initiated the Prix des lecteurs de Radio-Canada, giving national recognition to French writers outside Quebec.
On television, we produced 70 specials and 258 cultural programs. Among them are Zigzag, Olivia, la Fête nationale de l'Acadie, the drama series Francoeur, and most recently, the new series Belle-Baie, just to name a few.
[English]
Our contribution does not stop there. Our partnership with over 300 organizations and events, such as Dialogue Canada, FrancoFête en Acadie, Coup de Coeur Francophone and Festival du Voyageur demonstrate our continued involvement in the communities we serve. Our multiparty agreement on arts and culture with the Fédération culturelle canadienne-français, FCCF, and other federal cultural institutions — such as the National Film Board, the Canada Council for the Arts, National Arts Centre and Canadian Heritage — enhance our ability to do more to showcase arts and culture in official language communities across the country and also between them.
[Translation]
Building bridges between Canada's English- and French-speaking communities is an important part of CBC/Radio- Canada's mandate. Together, CBC and Radio-Canada are continually producing joint projects such as Hockey: A People's History, La fierté d'un peuple, Trudeau, René Lévesque and the co-produced Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. In the past two years, over 200 special programs have been co-produced by CBC and Radio-Canada. We would do more but as you know our mandate is broad and resources are limited.
I thank you for your attention and I appreciate the opportunity to share with you how I believe CBC/Radio-Canada not only fosters a shared sense of national identity across this country but how it also ensures the development and vitality of Canada's official-language minority communities.
I will now be pleased to answer your questions.
The Chair: Thank you, Mr. Chiasson.
André Courchesne, Director, Strategic Initiatives Division, Canada Council for the Arts: Thank you, Madam Chair. Committee members, I am very glad to be here today on behalf of the Canada Council for the Arts, where I am the Director of the Strategic Initiatives Division.
I would like to thank you for having invited the Canada Council for the Arts to take part in the discussions. I would like to introduce Katherine Berg, who is the Special Advisor to the Canadian Commission for UNESCO which, as you are aware, played a key role in promoting the notion of cultural diversity, not only in Canada, but also abroad.
[English]
As you know, the Canadian Council for the Arts was created in 1957 by an act of Parliament based on the recommendation of the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, better known as the Massey-Lévesque commission.
The Canada Council Act describes the council mandate as to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of and the production of works in the arts, and that remains our mandate today, more than 50 years later.
[Translation]
We did indeed celebrate our 50th anniversary last year. Throughout our entire history, we have worked hard to reflect Canada's linguistic duality.
Let me begin by sharing a few facts with you concerning our activities and our programs. For example, 93 per cent of our staff, most of who are located in Ottawa, are bilingual and work in both official languages. We know that the arts play a major role in developing and maintaining cultural identity, which makes it all the more important to ensure that artists and artistic organizations from minority communities are able to live in their community and reflect the vitality of that community.
Since the council's inception in 1957, there have been numerous examples of support lent to artists and organizations in minority settings.
For example, in 1958, we gave one of our grants to the Cercle Molière, a theatrical troop established in Saint- Boniface, in Manitoba. The theatre company's project was to stage Molière's play Le médecin malgré lui in eight towns in Western Canada. This first grant gave them an opportunity to travel throughout western Canada.
It was the following year, in 1959, that the Canada Council began to administer the Governor General's Literary Awards in both official languages and not just in English. Today, we hand out 14 Literary Awards every year, seven in French and seven in English.
Many of the winners are francophones from Quebec, but there are also many from other Canadian provinces outside Quebec. We can mention Acadians, such as Antonine Maillet, Herménégilde Chiasson or Emma Haché, a young New Brunswick author. We can also mention Franco-Ontarians such as Jean-Marc Dalpé and the late Robert Dixon.
Over the years the Canada Council has supported numerous artists and frrancophones organizations in minority settings such as sculptor Joe Fafard, whose works are currently being exhibited in the National Gallery, ceramists Paul Mathieu and Léopold Foulem, the Group Barachois a band from Prince Edward Island, dance troop Corpus from Toronto and theatre companies such as Uni Theatre in Edmonton, the Troupe du jour in Saskatoon, the Théâtre de la Vieille 17 in Ottawa, the Théâtre populaire d'Acadie in Caraquet, companies who have all benefited from our support for many years. We also support publishers such as Bouton d'or Acadie in Moncton and the Éditions Prise de parole in Sudbury, the Éditions du Blé in Saint-Boniface. In 2007-2008, the Canada Council awarded over $3 millions to artists and artistic organizations in minority communities outside Quebec.
Like our other partners, we signed the multi-party agreement in support of the cultural and artistic development of Canada's francophone communities in 1998. We were among the first to sign an IPOLC agreement with the department of Canadian Heritage and, more recently, in our action plan launched last February, we specifically referred to linguistic equality as a key element in our global equity strategy that, among other things, commits the Canada Council to maintaining the support we are currently providing through the IPOLC.
Consequently, over the years, we have implemented a number of positive measures to fulfil our commitment under Section 41 of the Official Languages Act. For example, every year, we select members of the artistic community to sit on juries, who are responsible for awarding grants. In 2007-2008, 762 artists and arts' administrators took part in our juries and, of that number, 6.2 per cent of them came from francophone minorities outside Quebec, equal to twice their demographic representation.
We also provided all our juries with information booklets called "context cards'' which explain what it is like to live in a minority situation, the context of artistic practice as it relates to theatre, for example, music or dance. All jury members can then be informed of the context in which the artists implement our programs. We also set up information sessions and simulations throughout Canada in both official languages. Artists are invited to take part in our mock juries assessing fictional applications. This allows them to understand the criteria that we use, to find the best arguments and to understand how to make their applications. Our goal is to increase the number of applications from linguistic minorities.
In closing, throughout its 50-year history, the Canada Council for the Arts has been an important tool in the development and viability of a strong francophone culture with a presence across Canada. On the eve of its second half century, the Canada Council is firmly committed to continuing its action. I will be pleased to answer your questions and take part in the discussion.
The Chair: Thank you, Mr. Courchesne. I will now give the floor to Ms. Tanguay.
Anne Tanguay, Manager, Translation Services and Official Languages Champion, National Arts Centre: Madam Chair, thank you for the invitation to the National Arts Centre to speak to you today about a subject that we find to be of the utmost importance — the promotion of francophone culture in Canada. In 2001, the NAC made the strong commitment to truly return to the national nature of its mandate. Our 2001-2006 strategic plan was entitled Restoring the Vision. The plan included two main objectives: re-establish the NAC's role as a catalyst for the performing arts nationally and an increased commitment to young people and education.
Since 2001 much has been done in each of our disciplines to ensure that francophone culture is accessible to all. The francophonie plays an important role even at the planning stages of all our programs. Whenever we implement a new initiative, be it a pre-concert public talk or visits to elementary or secondary schools, for example, we ensure that we always have a very significant francophone component.
It is important to add that when the time comes to determine that francophone component, the NAC does not just rely on the demographic weight of the francophone population. We always go above and often far beyond what are referred to as ratios. The document that we have provided to you gives a number of examples with supporting statistics.
I want to give you an example just to illustrate this statement. In western Canada, in Saskatchewan and Alberta, we have a program called the Music Ambassador Program. Musicians from both provinces go into the schools. This year, to give you a very concrete example, out of the 100 schools visited, 21 were French-language or French-immersion schools.
The NAC has just completed an exhaustive consultation process across the country in order to develop its next strategic plan for 2008-2013. Many of our initiatives were unanimously supported by the participants at these consultations. This is true of the Scènes festivals, biennal festivals showcasing the creativity of artists in a particular region.
Since we are talking about francophone culture here, we can tell you that the most recent showcase in spring 2007 was called Quebec Scene. The NAC welcomed 700 artists, to various sites in the national capital region on both sides of the river. This was the most significant showcase of Quebec artists outside that province. It was a premier. We also welcomed over 80 national and international broadcasters. The purpose of these festivals is to enable artists, who are well known in their province but not necessarily outside their province, to make a name for themselves in the rest of the country. This also enables artists to become known internationally. It's a jumping board. This allows artists to meet each other and the public can see just how rich the francophone, anglophone and Amerindian cultures are. The next festival will be in British Columbia in 2009. We are already working with the Fédération culturelle canadienne française and various francophone artist groups in British Columbia to ensure there is a good turnout of francophone artists at that festival.
[English]
I will now say a few words about our music education programs that are a major component of the NAC mandate. You may know that the NAC Orchestra regularly tours in different parts of our country. The last tour was in Quebec, again in November 2006. On top of the general public concerts, at least 65 educational activities were presented in concert halls and schools throughout the province.
[Translation]
The next tour will be to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia in October and November 2008. Once again, as was the case for the tour to Alberta in 2005, orchestra musician groups will visit a number of francophone schools.
In closing, I want to say that while I am speaking to you, Wajdi Mouawad, the French theatre's artistic director, is launching next season's program. Just like in the report that the official languages commissioner published at the end of March, entitled "Federal Government Support for the Arts and Culture in Official Language Minority Communities,'' we note that many artistic organizations are concerned about how the efforts being made are being marginalized.
We are very proud of the announcement made by the artistic director this evening. The French theatre will bring to life three new initiatives for French-language artists outside Quebec: a playwrighting residency, a co-production with a theatre company, with a region included in the regular season. This will help to counteract the effects of marginalization. A work by a playwright or an actor will be commissioned by the National Arts Centre for creative purposes.
The NAC recognizes culture as a privileged means for francophones to express their identity. The NAC is determined to ensure the development of francophone culture throughout the country, to continue tirelessly to ensure that its initiatives and programs leave ample room for artists, francophone audiences and young people, who are the future of our country and of the NAC.
Senator Champagne: Thank you all for having accepted our invitation. I must admit that current events have changed somewhat the questions that I had initially prepared for you.
One of the subjects that our committee has spent a lot of time on over the past year is the place for French and francophone culture during the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler.
We are concerned about what will happen in the cities and with regard to the broadcasting of the Games to a francophone audience. Like I, you know that the International Olympic Committee has granted broadcasting rights to Globe Media for 2010. We did some research as to what would be broadcast in French and whether any of the French broadcasts would be live.
When representatives of Globe Media appeared before the committee, they said they gave a lot of importance to what TQS would provide them in order to complement what RDS would give them, the latter station being only available to cable subscribers and not available directly.
TQS's financial difficulties are nothing new. We learned a few weeks ago that a potential purchaser would meet the requirements for licence holders. Yet, this new potential purchaser announced last Thursday that TQS would no longer be providing its news services, not in Montreal or anywhere else in the province where that service was provided, be it Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières or Chicoutimi.
We are greatly concerned for the 270 news service employees who will lose their jobs on May 30 next. You should have heard Esther Bégin who said that she left her job to go to work for the TQS news service. I am told that, in order for the current owner to be able to transfer the licence to the potential purchasers, they would have to appear before the CRTC. The only people who can appear are the current licensee and the potential purchaser.
I would like Ms. Laflamme to explain how licences are being transferred. TQS is a general television network which tasked itself with providing regional news services since it went on the air. And if suddenly the owner tells us that it is no longer offering this news service, can a licence still be transferred? Can the CRTC refuse to transfer it?
I am well aware that you are not able to tell me what the CRTC will decide, but I would like you to explain, for our information and the information of those listening to you, what the CRTC's options are in such cases, so that we can all be informed in spite of our sorrow.
Ms. Laflamme: I can explain the process that the CRTC will follow to study applications currently before it, applications that were published on Friday, April 25th. What we are talking about involves transferring effective control of a corporation and applications to renew all the licences held by TQS, be it the network, the Montreal stations and the regional stations.
Currently, the way the CRTC proceeds is that while holding these applications it will conduct a public process as would be the case under any circumstances. By May 15th, parties interested in obtaining intervener status must table their briefs and file their intention to appear or not before the panel.
Public hearings will be held in Montreal on June 2 and in Quebec City on June 3rd. And, as was announced in the notice of a public hearing published on Friday, the CRTC clearly explained that it would study the applications and proposals dealing with programming, including local programming and news coverage. So clearly, the commission will look at what is being proposed and, based on that information, it will make the necessary decisions, in accordance with the objectives set out in the Broadcasting Act as well as on the briefs tabled, which will become part of the public record and will guide the panel in its decisions.
Senator Champagne: Can a general interest television licence be given, altered or transferred, even if there are no news services, no newsrooms anywhere in the province?
Ms. Laflamme: That is a good question. That is exactly the issue that the commission will have to look at. In policy 99, the commission had already set out various types of programming that are important for general interest stations and this included news. I cannot prejudge what the panel will decide in the coming months.
Senator Champagne: Many people who are not cable subscribers will be very upset if in addition, they do not have access to the Olympics in French.
Senator Losier-Cool: Good day to our five witnesses and thank you for coming.
I have three questions, that is, I have a specific question for three different witnesses, and then I would like to get a general opinion from all five of you.
My first question is brief. Ms. Laflamme, you talked about francophone areas, in your appearance on RDI on digital cable obligations. What do you mean by francophone areas?
Ms. Laflamme: In fact, the regulation on distribution sets out francophone and anglophone markets. Consequently, most of the francophone markets are in Quebec and the anglophone markets are mostly outside Quebec. In that decision, the CRTC decided that cable and satellite providers would have to provide RDI to markets identified as anglophone markets and Newsworld to francophone markets.
Senator Losier-Cool: I want to reiterate that the purpose of this study and of our committee is to really shed light on the issues facing francophones in minority communities.
I come to you, Mr. Chiasson. Does Radio-Canada have specific objectives in terms of programming, such as a certain percentage of francophone artists from minority communities? Do you have policies on this or are things selected? You mentioned the show Belle-Baie. When you produced Belle-Baie, did it have to have a certain percentage of Acadian artists? If so, is there such a policy? I think that the committee could benefit from knowing more about such Radio-Canada policies.
Mr. Chiasson: In answer to your question, Madam Senator, I would say that we do not have a policy as such, we do not have a quota indicating that we need to have X number of productions from francophone regions outside Quebec compared to the number from Quebec. However, over the past two or three years, we have set up a regional services general directorate, which means that the top officials at Radio-Canada are made aware of everything related to regional productions and programming. We now have a director general who sits with senior management and who brings in awareness of regional productions and programming.
Over the past two years, we have also noted that there has been increased visibility for regions outside Quebec.
I can give you a very concrete example. The show La Petite séduction on TV, which has been around for three years, is back on our airwaves. The first year that the show was broadcast, not a single place outside Quebec was included. The second year, we had just started our work regarding regional services. We advised the network production people that perhaps they should go and seek places outside Quebec. Last year, there were two towns in New Brunswick and two towns in Ontario included. The third season is running this year and there is a town from Saskatchewan, one from Manitoba, one from Ontario, one from New Brunswick, and there is an Acadian artist who will be interviewed in a town in Quebec.
Here is another example: there is another new daily show, broadcast at 2 p.m., called C'est ça la vie, which began last fall and to which all the regional stations contribute. The objective is to talk to regions outside Quebec but also about issues inside Quebec. It is really a pan-Canadian show. We wanted to reach 10 per cent of the market; and we are reaching 18 per cent. It is a great success. We are increasing production.
This week, I produced a report comparing the position of the Canadian Francophonie within Radio-Canada over the past few years and I am comparing the period from 2004 to 2006. On the radio, regional coverage of cultural events has gone from 369 to 612; the investment has gone from $1.3 million to $2.1 million in two years, since we adopted this general policy.
We are seeing the same phenomenon on TV. We have increased coverage of cultural features from 2,249 to 2,534, the number of hours for cultural features went from 94 hours to 195 hours, and we have even increased the number of acquisitions from independent producers outside Quebec, which went from 15 to 37 productions. This is a progressive increase.
Senator Losier-Cool: Without a policy, is this increase due to goodwill, to the awareness of the head of Francophonie relations?
Mr. Chiasson: I think that it is due to upper management which decided to adopt this general policy.
Senator Losier-Cool: Mr. Chiasson, I know a bit about your background and I know the reasons for your sensitivity. When you talk about Radio-Canada's relations with the Francophonie and its affiliates, is it —
Mr. Chiasson: When I wear my affiliate hat, it is in Quebec. As you are well aware, the affiliates, which are in the news, are the Trois-Rivières, Saguenay and Sherbrooke stations, our affiliates with COGECO. We have two other affiliates in Rouyn-Noranda and Rivière-du-Loup.
Senator Losier-Cool: Ms. Tanguay, I really like the programs initiated by the NAC that you sent us. Can the educational music kits be obtained upon request? Are the schools requesting them? It is the first time I have heard about this.
Ms. Tanguay: The way it works is that the kits are sent out in coordination with a tour or an event. In 2007, since there was the Quebec Scene, the kits were distributed in Quebec. Due to the budget, we cannot give them out to all elementary schools across Canada in the same year. We also use IPOLC funds to distribute the kits.
During a given year, we target one province or several provinces.
A tour a the four western provinces is planned for the fall. The kits will systematically be sent to all of those schools. The National Arts Centre is in contact with schools and makes sure that francophone schools do not have to lift a finger to get anything — it comes to them automatically. We have lists and the schools pick the language they want.
Senator Losier-Cool: For my last question, I would like to have a personal opinion from our five experts. Would you be able to tell us what cultural sector receives the best funding? Is it cinema? Music? Theatre?
I am putting the same question to all witnesses appearing before us so that our committee can perhaps identify the situation in each sector.
Mr. Courchesne: Historically, the so-called linguistic sectors — theatre and literature — have always been the strongest, with the Cercle Molière, which has existed for over 75 years, and other organizations created 20 or 30 years ago. Many publishers and theatre companies, for example, get operational support from us, so they have very long lives, they are well established because their specificity is linguistic. They publish or put on plays in French. The other sectors are newer.
As far as dance is concerned, we only support a single francophone company outside Quebec, and that is Corpus Dance Projects in Toronto.
Music is an area where songs are extremely important — I am going to let my colleagues give you more details in this area but it has been constantly moving forward for the past 10 or 15 years.
In the area of visual arts — and this was also noted in the official language commissioner's report — we have also noted a lag as compared to linguistic disciplines.
Ms. Tanguay: In the Federal Government Support report, on page 47, I believe, it states that it maybe easier in theatre. I would add that it is clear that improvements, as Ms. Laflamme said, due to a better implementation of Part VII, encouragement with the use of positive measures, has certainly played a role in oral disciplines such as theatre. That is clear.
With regard to the NAC, we note an interesting contribution with regard to song over the past few years with the Fourth Stage, which provides regional programming. We see a boom, also, with the Vendredis de la chanson francophone and the Contes Nomades. But once again, we are talking about a more oral medium or artistic area.
Mr. Chiasson: In Acadia, Radio-Canada plays a lot of songs by singer-songwriters and there have been numerous productions since 1994. Since the first Acadian congress, we have seen a proliferation in musical production. Things are quite dynamic with regard to the theatre, both in western Canada and in Acadia.
It is the same thing with regard to literature, but concerning Radio-Canada, the emphasis is probably on filmmaking, with the production of dramatic series. Really, Belle Baie is our first one. There was also Francoeur.
We are also working on projects with the National Film Board of Canada to mentor filmmakers, playwrights and screenwriters to produce dramatic series. However, there is still a lot of work to do. This area is undergoing huge technological change. It costs a lot of money, and many people need to invest, yet it is still not easy to create these products for either the artists or the producers, and the broadcasters who are looking for these products.
Ms. Drisdell: Regarding the media arts, I agree with Mr. Chiasson; it is very expensive, but I believe the number of media art productions will increase because this medium travels well from one platform, such as the Internet, to the next, thanks to technological development. The potential for broadcasting is greater and can be done at a lesser cost. Further, young people are very enthusiastic about this medium and there is a huge potential to find talented young people and help them develop a francophone culture and make their voices heard.
Wapikoni Mobile is a trailer equipped with very light video equipment, which has travelled through native territories; the creativity of aboriginal youth is impressive, as well as the pride they have in their culture. So I think that there are challenges with regard to costs and new media, but also a huge potential.
Senator Losier-Cool: Thank you.
Senator Comeau: Thank you to all our witnesses for coming this evening. This is a very interesting discussion.
Mr. Chiasson, you are a great defender of minority communities in French-speaking parts of the Maritimes and elsewhere in Canada. I can say this because I have known you for a fairly long time. In your opinion, is it not too late for Radio-Canada to broadcast its francophone programs across the country and not only in Quebec? I sometimes wonder whether people appreciate the work that is done. I took a close look at your statistics. The reality is that in the regions, news programs come from Montreal and broadcast accidents on the Décarie Boulevard, and other such news items, whereas the CBC is truly more national in scope. Perhaps this is a reality we must accept? If so, should we not examine another option for minority official language communities in the rest of Canada? It is a challenge.
Mr. Chiasson: It really is a challenge. However, we must not ignore what happens in each region. I think that every community is very proud of its regional productions. As far as Radio-Canada's infrastructure is concerned, we have 20 stations of which 11 are located outside Quebec, and 27 news bureaus of which 19 are located outside Quebec. So regional productions are well received and perceived positively.
Further, we partner with over 300 organizations, festivals and events. Many of these events would never even take place if Radio-Canada was not there to help fund production and broadcasting. We also support, for example, the Chant'Ouest gala, the Manitoba francophone gala, and others.
I also believe we have made huge progress in increasing the visibility of our regional networks. I mentioned several programs a little earlier. We are still being severely criticized for having abolished Atlantique en direct, Ontario en direct and Ouest en direct on RDI. However, these programs were eliminated because statistics showed that when, for instance, Atlantique en direct was on the air, the rest of the country stopped watching.
Statistics showed us this. It was the same for l'Ouest en direct and Ontario en direct. Our plan was to broadcast as much regional news as possible, but we would add, or integrate, them into our news programs. We have the press review l'Acadie Nouvelle in the morning and Ricky Landry is the one who presents it. The same applies to Ontario and the west. When there is breaking news in the west, as happened when the plane crashed in Calgary, we were able to immediately dispatch a reporter from Alberta. Two years ago, it would have been necessary to wait for the live broadcast from western Canada to cover such an event. So Canadians receive breaking news now, regardless of where it happens. Even Quebeckers are better informed about what happens elsewhere in Canada.
Senator Comeau: So you are still optimistic?
Mr. Chiasson: Very optimistic.
Senator Comeau: Thank you. Ms. Laflamme, at the beginning of your presentation you said that you had created a discussion group. Can you tell us a little more about this group and its relation to the application of section 41? Who are its members and how often do they meet?
Ms. Laflamme: We are very proud of having created this discussion group with the communities. In fact, I have my list of participants with me; there are between 20 and 25 members, and they attend depending on their availability. We try to accommodate everyone. We have key partners around the table, including the FCFA, the FCCF, ANIM, ARC du Canada, FRIC, APFC and the Alliance des producteurs francophones. We also wanted to have representatives from associations which did not necessarily represent a specific sector, but rather communities located in outlying regions which received radio broadcasting and telecommunication services. The group's first meeting was in September 2007 and it went very well. The communities were very happy with the work we did with them. We just had another meeting last March. Since we are just beginning our work, and there is still a lot of legwork to be done, we intend to have at least two annual meetings in the first few years, and depending on how that works out, we will see what needs to be done after further discussion in collaboration with the community.
There are really three parts to what we do. The structure of our meetings was set in collaboration with the communities. At the first meeting, we got to know each other and familiarized ourselves with the reality of the communities. They learned about the workings of the CRTC. Some of the organizations knew us well because they had already appeared at our public hearings, but that was the exception rather than the rule. These groups said they wanted to hear presentations on what is at stake today in the areas of radio broadcasting and telecommunications, and the challenges the companies face. We had a presentation on state-of-the-art technologies which are often very difficult to understand. An expert came and gave a presentation at our second meeting. We then developed a work plan which is aligned with the CRTC's process. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission publishes a three-year plan every year in which it announces the issues it will study. Of course, that can always change, depending on the circumstances, but armed with that information, we can identify in advance the issues which will affect communities, because the CRTC holds several hearings in the course of a year. However, our role is to find the groups we wish to have come on board.
The third part focuses on developing the tools which might help facilitate their participation in our process. Soon, for instance, we will have a website exclusively dedicated to the communities and which will explain the ABCs of presenting before the CRTC. The communities are not alone in not clearly understanding how the Canadian Radio- television and Telecommunications Commission works, and they can be somewhat intimidated by the way things work. The CRTC is working on improving participation. Also, some associations have combined their efforts. So depending on what is at stake and what processes are involved, we try to help them best prepare for a hearing.
Senator Comeau: Thank you.
The Chair: My question is for all the witnesses and it concerns the francophone cultural space, especially in a minority situation. Some of you have programs which support professional artists, and others have programs for young or emerging artists. We have to start at the beginning if we want to achieve a professional level of performance.
First, how do you approach programs for emerging artists as opposed to those for professional ones? Second, how do you strike a balance between the two, since to get to point three, you have to start at point one? Do you have any policies? Is there a budget for emerging artists and one for professional artists? How do you support these artists from the beginning to the end of the process?
Ms. Tanguay: In the case of the National Arts Centre, our objectives are two-pronged. Of course, supporting artistic excellence is the number one objective. And that is independent of the language involved. For instance, our Summer Music Institute, which takes place in Ottawa every summer, recruits the cream of the crop of not only Canadian artists, but foreign ones as well, because we also accept foreigners in the Young Artists Programme. Point one, as you say, involves musical education and education in other areas, which is where it all begins. This evening, Wajdi Mouawad will announce measures which will help professional artists, who are not necessarily well known and do not necessarily have a large following, to gain access to a wider audience.
The Chair: So that program would not necessarily further the artist's development, but rather help the artist gain access to a wider audience?
Ms. Tanguay: There are things which can help a playwright go to the next level, but this is a challenge because the National Arts Centre, even with its "Scene'' series, for instance, tries to help artists become known across Canada. We feel we must bring the best each province has to offer to Ottawa.
The Chair: Mr. Courchesne, at the Canada Council for the Arts, you used to have programs which supported community initiatives to help artists grow, is that not right?
Mr. Courchesne: Indeed, through our programs we help professional artists, and this includes professional artists just beginning their careers.
As you know, every decision is made by committee and we make sure that young artists are represented on each committee, that is, that some committee members be at the beginning of their careers. Applications are divided into categories, depending on whether the applicant is at the beginning of his career, halfway through his career, or whether the applicant is an established artist. We use this approach to spread the money around fairly.
In other words, we want to make sure that lesser-known artists get the support they need when they are perhaps compared to Robert Lepage by someone on a committee, so that the funding does not only go to well-known artists.
Over the last few years, we created a new program called "Artists in the community,'' which helps artists work with community groups. This might be a theatre company, a social group, or any other professional group. It might be a group working on a specific subject which decides to collaborate with an artist. It would therefore give professional artists the opportunity to work in a community setting, where you often find people who are interested in the arts without making their living from it.
We noticed that in francophone communities outside Quebec, this type of support is essential to the survival of organizations. Theatre companies which put on professional productions cannot survive if they do not have a critical mass of fans of the theatre who are not necessarily professionals, but who love theatre.
Most of the companies I mentioned also stage community productions. We indirectly support these community productions by including them in our funding applications, because we know this is important not only to educate the theatre-goers of tomorrow, but also to find new blood.
As I mentioned earlier, you are no doubt aware of the problems regarding the new generation of people who will run our major institutions. I am referring in particular to established theatre companies and publishers in Canada. A lot of people will soon be retiring. These are the baby boomers, and we have to groom the next generation. We are very aware of this problem and want to work with the FCCF to find solutions to that challenge.
Senator Ringuette: I find very interesting the program to support communities and artists within the community, your "emerging artists'' program, if you will, which is preparing young artists who may appear as professionals at the National Arts Centre in a few years' time. Could you possibly provide us with information about this program?
Ms. Tanguay: Yes.
The Chair: You can send the documents to the committee clerk who will distribute them to members. Mr. Chiasson, would you like to add something?
Mr. Chiasson: Yes. Regarding the development of artists, at Radio-Canada we have a few programs worth mentioning, such as our regional singing galas, which foster the development of young artists. We also contribute greatly to the production, recording and broadcasting of these events.
For the last five or six years now, we have had a program to help artists develop, artists who are not quite professionals yet, but who already have a track record. This program is called Sacré talent!, and it is broadcast on Espace musique. We have a committee made up of producers from across the country. The committee chooses artists which it believes have the most potential. This year, among the eight artists chosen from across the country, two are from New Brunswick, so from outside Quebec — although Frédric Gary Comeau now lives in Montreal, even though he is from the Baie-des-Chaleurs, and Mathieu D'Astous lives in Moncton half the time and somewhere else as well.
This year, these two artists were showcased on Sacré talent! The program showcases artists for one month on the Internet, on the radio and on television. The artists are invited to appear on L'Heure de gloire, a program hosted by René Simard —
Senator Champagne: A program that was cancelled —
Mr. Chiasson: But there will be other variety shows. They also do radio shows with Monique Giroux and on the Internet.
Senator Champagne: And once they become well known and great artists and they are honoured by being inducted into the authors and composers' hall of fame, CBC tapes the show but if there are any francophones who happen to be inducted, their segments are cut out of the broadcast! They do not want to lose ratings in the rest of Canada. Where was the head of francophone relations that day?
Mr. Chiasson: I do not really have the authority to interfere with editorial choices where shows are concerned.
Senator Champagne: But you have to admit that this is a bit insulting! Claude Dubois was quite right.
Mr. Chiasson: The president responded to this incident and his letter appeared in La Presse and a few other newspapers. I would add that the whole show was broadcast on CBC Radio Two. Moreover, it would be wrong to use a single incident as an indication of how Radio-Canada and CBC do their productions and co-productions. After all, there are a number of shows. . .
Senator Champagne: I am not going to blame —
Mr. Chiasson: — René Lévesque, Trudeau, Rumeurs; there are actually a lot of co-productions between Radio- Canada and CBC aimed at making anglophones aware of French culture.
Senator Champagne: I agree with that. But I find it extremely sad that such an important moment was chosen, since it is not every day that francophones are inducted into the hall of fame. Someone with an extensive career was being honoured. Yes, the CBC president apologized and I have read everything he wrote in the press. But when the producer was asked about it, he said that his ratings would have dropped. Perhaps he could have found a more delicate way of putting it, such as saying that there was not enough time, that the parts of the show featuring francophones would be put together and broadcast on Radio-Canada — but that the francophones could be pushed aside on the CBC —
Regarding the idea that the ratings would go down, the CBC is not a private station, as far as I know; it receives a great deal of funding from the Government of Canada, so from the public in general. Even if the ratings did go down a little bit at some point, that is why the government gives huge amounts of money to the CBC. You have to agree with me that it is very unfortunate that the choice was made to exclude all the francophones.
Mr. Chiasson: I think that the vice-president for English television and senior management have certainly taken note of this, since there has been a lot of reaction from many quarters. We hope that next year —
Senator Champagne: They should apologize. Go forth and sin no more. That is it.
The Chair: Ms. Drisdell, did you have something to add in reply to the initial question?
Ms. Drisdell: Yes, concerning renewal and what comes after that. At the National Film Board of Canada, we are very concerned about renewal and that is one of our mandates. We often have filmmakers just out of school who need a first opportunity. We are concerned about our next strategic renewal plan as well because many people have told us that it is relatively easy to make a first film but very difficult to make the second one. We have a lot of short film projects to try to develop film-makers through the NFB's programs.
There are a number of initiatives designed to help new filmmakers develop their art. There is programming across the country to help with this renewal. Some of them will eventually be ready to produce a feature documentary. For example, Nomads' Land, was produced last year in collaboration with Radio-Canada. It is a 90-minute first feature film. So we help filmmakers move forward in their careers.
Ms. Laflamme: When the CRTC reviewed its radio policy, the issue of emerging artists came up. The CRTC wants to hold consultations to define what is meant by an emerging artist. Then it will see if there are mechanisms and measures that need to be taken to help them get on the radio.
Ms. Tanguay: When Mathieu D'Astous was mentioned, his name rang a bell for me. The NAC talks a lot about having a national mandate, but it has a regional mandate as well because it takes the approach that people in the regions also have a right of artistic expression.
The NAC's small stage, called the Fourth Stage, provides a springboard for artists that are not well known yet. The NAC works with the CBC to give publicity to the Franco-Ontarians and Anglo-Quebeckers who perform at the Fourth Stage.
The Chair: Mr. Chiasson, would you like to add something?
Mr. Chiasson: I would like to talk about the development of filmmakers and scriptwriters involved in making short and feature films. The NFB works to develop young filmmakers, and then they are followed. The same thing is done with the Tremplin organized in cooperation with the NFB and the IPOLC, a program that lasted a number of years in cooperation with the NFB and Telefilm Canada.
Senator Champagne: Mr. Chiasson is talking about renewal and cultural activities. Is there any chance that Radio- Canada might bring back programs like Banc d'essai and Jeunes artistes?
Those programs enabled young students from the conservatories or McGill University to play and be heard. Once that happened, they sometimes got an opportunity to play concerts elsewhere in the country. When you say that you are going to do things to help new artists, might that be part of the dreams that could come through?
Mr. Chiasson: Without making a commitment, I would say I agree with you. This week, in fact, there was a children's choir competition, which is something that we broadcast every year. There are a number of competitions for young artists broadcast by Radio-Canada and CBC Radio 2. We record and broadcast professional artists, but we also do the same for young artists who are just starting out.
Senator Champagne: You record them, but you no longer do the production. Although Radio-Canada has magnificent studios in Montreal with very good equipment, you do the recording but not the production. You do radio shows where there are eight people to put on one record, but you could be showcasing new young artists that would cost a lot less. That would be a good way to help people get to know our young artists.
Mr. Chiasson: I will have to do some research and come back to you with the answer. I do not want to go out on a limb by saying that we do not do production. We even have the Studio 12 show that features writer-composers and young artists. There are even francophones outside Quebec who have been on the show, such as Daniel Lavoie and Damien Robitaille. The show is produced in our studios with France Beaudoin. It is a popular show on the Première Chaîne and Espace Musique. With respect to the other productions, music by young pianists and young musicians, I know that a study should be coming out very soon on that.
Each year, CBC/Radio-Canada invests approximately $5 million in musical production in Canada. CBC/Radio- Canada does not necessarily invest in its studios, but does make investments in musical productions.
Ms. Drisdell: Without downplaying the contribution of television, I believe that the Internet offers many possibilities for young people. We created a zone, a Web page targeted to young people on which they can post their projects and interact with other communities.
Indeed, television can be restrictive for young people who are just starting out, but often, a film can be a catalyst for success. The same type of Internet digitization can be broadcast on film networks that already exist in Acadia, New Brunswick. It is broadcast on the server and each community can download the program. These technologies are currently being developed and significantly influence young people who may have difficulty in making a breakthrough in traditional broadcasting.
Senator Ringuette: Twelve years ago, Senator Comeau and myself were the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Official Languages. We pointed out to CBC/Radio-Canada that the news was not being broadcast one hour later in the Maritimes.
I must tell you that I am very pleased that the situation has been rectified because indeed, the day begins earlier in the east than it does in central Canada or western Canada. This goes to show you just how effective minority communities are when there are ears listening. You made a great impression on me. We have taken a significant stride forward on the artistic and cultural fronts.
We know that there are always efforts to be made and challenges to be met. I hope that you will continue to listen attentively to our communities. In short, I am happy to have listened to you because the sum of your expertise is an extraordinary asset for the future of our communities. It would be good for the CRTC to take the initiative of meeting with these communities and these artists. Generally speaking, I believe that all of you can complement one another in accomplishing something great.
I do not have any question per se, I simply wanted to express that very sincere comment.
Senator Losier-Cool: Should the federal government have a policy on culture? Should the federal government have a policy to support all of the great work you are doing, a policy which could benefit our provinces? For example, culture should play a greater role in our schools.
Ms. Tanguay: It is certain that the NAC would applaud making culture part and parcel of the Action Plan for Official Languages. It is the missing link. That is certain. Obviously, as a federal organization, we report to the Department of Canadian Heritage. If Canadian Heritage had a well-thought-out policy, it would have a trickle-down effect within our organization, and give organizations greater weight. An Official Languages Action Plan that specifically included culture would encourage organizations to take action. It is through culture that communities can best express their identity.
Mr. Courchesne: I would like to support the suggestion made by my colleague from the National Arts Centre. If arts and culture were part of the Action Plan for Official Languages, there would be greater efficiency and productivity in the short and long term. That would give us some tools to go forward, just as section 41 has been a tool. Obviously, as Ms. Tanguay has said, that would probably give us greater access to other means. Nonetheless, these means are not determinant factors. Yes, they are important, but the recognition of arts and culture would allow us to promote artists and reinvigorate the artistic community within minority settings.
Ms. Drisdell: I agree with my colleagues. If arts and culture were included in the Official Languages Action Plan, there would be recognition of the role that culture plays in community development. In order to keep our young people in our communities, they must have the hope of being seen and heard. As you said, any recognition of this activity would be welcome.
Ms. Laflamme: I would perhaps answer in more general terms, and simply say that the CRTC collaborates with Heritage Canada. We are always there, together with other agencies and departments at coordination meetings. I also want to mention that there are two working groups, one on music and song, and another on media arts, and I am involved with them personally. We send our experts to these meetings. It is also another way of reinforcing the message.
The Chair: On that note, on behalf of all honourables senators, I wish to thank you for being here at this meeting, and thank you for your testimony. Your presentations have not only revealed unwavering good intentions, but also a desire to implement programs and to work with us to ensure that francophone culture remains vibrant in Canada. Thank you very much.
The committee adjourned.