Source : The Hill Times

Lac-Saint-Louis, Que. – The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage embarked over two years ago on a comprehensive study of Canada’s broadcasting industry. The aim was to create a blueprint to strengthen the industry in the 21st century and permit it to meet the challenges of the new global communications revolution.

It seemed only fitting to committee members, given Canada’s reputation as a world leader in communications theory and technology, that we should examine the state of our broadcasting sector at this critical juncture in its history. The last major study of the subject – the Caplan-Sauvageau Task Force on Broadcasting Policy – had been conducted over 15 years ago and was directed by outside experts (albeit of the highest calibre) rather than by Parliamentarians themselves.

The standing committee’s study, and its resulting 872-page report entitled Our Cultural Sovereignty, was guided by two central themes.

First, whether the objectives of the Broadcasting Act – in terms of creating a broadcasting system that provides for the expression of Canada’s linguistic, cultural and regional voices – remain as relevant today as when the act was promulgated, in 1991.

Second. Recommendations for reforming the current system must be aimed primarily at serving the cultural needs of Canadians. Only by creating a broadcasting system that puts the Canadian public at its centre, can we ensure the system’s long-term viability. Committee members believe Canadians have a strong desire to remain culturally distinct within North America. Thus, our broadcasting industry must produce more, not less, high-quality domestic programming. It must not succumb to the temptation of importing an increasing number of foreign-produced shows out of a pessimistic assumption that Canada cannot sustain a homegrown audio-visual culture against the ever-rising tide of foreign programming.

The committee was struck by how crucial local and regional programming are to Canadians and, ultimately, to the health of our national broadcasters. Local and regional programming provide national broadcasters with creative roots. National broadcasters (including the CBC) need such programming to produce meaningful content at the national level.

The committee also concluded that a vibrant domestic broadcasting industry is fundamental to our national integrity and identity. Only an independent Canadian broadcasting system can allow Canadians to express, and be exposed to an alternative set of views on current events. Without this different perspective, Canada would be unable to maintain the unique social and cultural values upon which its domestic public policies must depend.

The committee believes that protecting our distinct national voice in all its variety depends on our ability to avoid ever-greater media concentration as well as to maintain the current limits on foreign ownership of our broadcasting industry. The committee thus recommended the government develop a well-defined policy on mergers and acquisitions in the broadcasting industry – suggesting a moratorium on such transactions while the policy is developed – and called on the government to maintain current limits on foreign ownership of Canadian media assets.

The committee also addressed the threat the black- and grey-satellite television markets pose to the health of the Canadian broadcasting system. Consumers are often unaware of the serious negative impact of satellite signal “theft.” The committee thus recommended the government produce a comprehensive strategy to eliminate unauthorized satellite signal use.

Last but not least, the committee addressed the need for new systems of accountability to ensure the goals of the Broadcasting Act are met. Not only do taxpayers today demand more stringent accountability for use of their tax dollars, there is growing recognition among policy-makers that new feedback mechanisms are vital to ensuring the effective design and implementation of public policies. Consequently, the committee recommended, in exchange for stable long-term funding for the CBC, that our national public broadcaster deliver strategic plans stating how it will meet its public service mandate. The committee also recommended that the impacts and outcomes of the CBC’s strategic plans, in reference to its mandated objectives, be reported on annually.

In terms of the broadcasting system as a whole, the committee proposed “the creation of a Canadian broadcasting monitor, incorporated into the Office of the Auditor General, to report annually on how well the objectives of the Broadcasting Act are being met.”

We believe as a committee that Our Cultural Sovereignty report is an important contribution to current thinking about broadcasting policy in Canada. Committee members strongly hope the new government will adopt many of the report’s recommendations in order to ensure a strong and independent Canadian culture well into the 21st century and beyond.

© The Hill Times