QUESTION PERIOD — Canadian Heritage
Bilingual Proficiency Requirements
May 30, 2024
Senator Gold, on May 13, the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced the appointment of a seven-member advisory committee to modernize CBC/Radio-Canada. These experts will be tasked with providing the minister with policy advice on the public broadcaster’s governance, funding and mandate. I was very startled to see that this committee does not include any experts from francophone minority communities.
Senator Gold, in keeping with her linguistic commitments to enhance the vitality of official language minority communities, or OLMCs, and considering the essential role that Radio-Canada plays for francophone minority cultures, how can the Minister of Canadian Heritage explain this omission, and how does she intend to ensure fair representation for these communities?
Thank you for the question.
The members of the advisory committee have decades of diverse experience in the media sector. Multiple perspectives and experiences will be essential to inform the next steps in transforming the public broadcaster in order to address the challenges of today’s media market. For example, I believe that Loc Dao lives in British Columbia, has lived there for over 10 years and is fluent in French.
The board of directors can also consult Canadians and advisers from all of the regions. The group, including the minister, is at least 50% francophone.
The advisory committee on the future of CBC/Radio-Canada is an important vehicle for helping the government evaluate the many ideas that have been put forward over the years. The government looks forward to strengthening the public broadcaster, because Canadians need to hear Canadian news, information and stories that unite them.
Thank you for that answer, Senator Gold.
Speaking of commitments to enhance the vitality of francophone minorities, as you know, Senator Gold, the federal government has pledged that the next Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick will be proficient in both official languages.
Given that the incumbent is generally appointed for a five-year term and that the current Lieutenant Governor was appointed in 2019, does the government intend to honour its pledge before the next federal election in 2025?
Thank you for your question.
Unfortunately, I’m unable to comment on potential future appointments.
