CCR Newsmakers

Canadian Heritage minister Liza Frulla committed to maintaining government funding to the Canadian Television Fund "as it is or more," and stated that the CRTC’s policy restricting the entry into Canada of foreign-owned third-language channels must changed. In a speech on November 29 at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters convention, she also noted that the current government would give a more detailed response to the report issued by the Clifford Lincoln-chaired Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in June 2003 (CCR, June 20/03). Below are excerpts from her speech. Canadian Television FundOver the past few years, the Canadian Television Fund has demonstrated that investing in diversified, high-quality Canadian content is synonymous with success. Since 1996, the Canadian Television Fund has dedicated $1.7 billion to the production of 18,000 hours of programs in English, French and Aboriginal languages. The total value of these productions is $6 billion. The fund brings together public- and private-sector efforts to create high-quality Canadian cultural content. This is an excellent example of a public-private partnership. But it does more. The fund has shown that in attracting audiences, popularity and quality are not mutually exclusive. Today, I am making a commitment to you to work to maintain this funding. And I am asking each of you to carry on your efforts to remind your Members of Parliament in Ottawa of the importance of the fund to your industry. I know that you are concerned about the governance of the fund. Last Thursday, the appointment was announced of a new executive director to head Telefilm Canada. I expect that this issue is a priority for you. We are going to work closely with all industry leaders to find the best possible solutions to this issue. Third-language policiesOur population has changed greatly since these two major communications media (radio and TV) came into being. Close to one Canadian in five is a member of a visible minority and a little more than 18% of Canada’s population was born outside our country. Our broadcasting system must adapt to this new reality, which presents several challenges to the industry. More and more, Canadians are demanding television services in languages other than French and English. In August 2004, we created a group of experts, made up of the Honourable Clifford Lincoln, Roger Tassé and Anthony Ciancotta, to study ways of giving Canadians greater access to third-language public television services. In September, the group submitted its report to me. Its main recommendation is to set up a regulatory framework so that new third-language services may enter the Canadian market and to contribute to achieving the objectives of The Broadcasting Act. Briefly, the working group expressed its support for increased diversity in the system, but not to the point of losing sight of the Canadian viewpoint and context. In addition, the group acknowledged the necessity to create a level playing field for Canadian and non-Canadian services. We have submitted the report to the CRTC, which is currently reviewing its policy with regard to evaluation of applications for third-language services. One think is certain: the multicultural nature of our community requires our policies to evolve. These policies have served us well until now, but they must be modernized. Some of you are already helping to supply third-language services to the Canadian public, and I congratulate you for this. But we must come to terms with the demands arising from the demographic changes in our country. We still must find a fair balance. Lincoln reportOur government intends to give a much more detailed response to the Lincoln Report. The report includes 97 recommendations. Some are complex and require further consideration. Others require more funding. By the end of April, our government will highlight its priorities and its immediate actions concerning broadcasting. We will make sure that this happens. It is important to set priorities so that we can better target our actions. And we are counting on your expertise to help us determine which issues should be priorities.

CCR Newsmakers

Broadcast | December 6, 2004

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