CHPC Committee Report
If you have any questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this publication, please contact us at accessible@parl.gc.ca.
|
BLOC QUÉBÉCOIS DISSENTING REPORT “This report does not address Quebec’s issues and problems” While the initial title of the study was Impacts of Private Television Ownership Changes and the Move Towards New Viewing Platforms, committee evidence and the Committee’s concerns focused on the emergence of vertically integrated companies across Canada, mostly excluding Quebec. The fact that Quebecor did not have the opportunity to appear before the Committee, despite the insistence of the Bloc Québécois representatives, seriously undermines the validity of this report’s recommendations. Quebecor’s brief, while very relevant, was too short, and it prompted questions that deserved to be fully explored. As it was not possible to receive any further clarification from Quebecor, this report is incomplete. Furthermore, if Quebecor had appeared before the Committee, other actors in the Quebec broadcasting industry would have appeared as well. For example, ACTRA appeared, but not the Union des artistes (UDA), CACTUS appeared, but not the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec, etc. Quebecor acquired TVA and Vidéotron in 2001. It has 10 years of experience with vertical integration, which is far more than any other Canadian media company. All the observers agree that Quebecor dominates the Quebec media market, not only through TVA, its general-interest television network, but also through Vidéotron, its cable and internet services, as well as through its specialty channels, daily newspapers (Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec) and magazines. As Quebecor and other important Quebec stakeholders were unable to testify, the report and its recommendations reflect the experience and vision of Canada only. This report does not address Quebec’s issues and problems. Transferring Jurisdiction to Quebec The Bloc Québécois would like to reiterate its belief that jurisdiction over the arts, culture, telecommunications and broadcasting should be transferred to the Government of Quebec, as the National Assembly has always called for. The current Conservative Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon, called for this jurisdiction as well, when he was a minister in Quebec’s Bourassa government. On March 23, 2009, Quebec’s Minister of Culture and Communications, Christine St-Pierre, wrote to federal Minister of Canadian Heritage, James Moore, on behalf of the Government of Quebec, saying “Entering into a communications agreement would guarantee that Quebec's specific content would be taken into account more in broadcasting and telecommunications.” In 2010, the Quebec Minister responsible for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs, the late Claude Béchard (MNA for Rivière-du-Loup), repeated the Quebec government’s wish to have the Constitution reopened in order to give Quebec full jurisdiction over culture and communications (Le Devoir, “Québec veut rouvrir la Constitution,” June 19, 2010). “We are working hard on a new approach to conclude bilateral negotiations with the federal government in order to obtain certain constitutional amendments,” said Béchard. These amendments would address culture and communications. “Regarding being a nation, it could be beneficial to see that enshrined in the Constitution,” he added. [Translation] The vitality of Quebec culture is needed to strengthen the Quebec nation. That is why it is important for Quebec to have control of the promotion and broadcasting of Quebec culture, which reflects its identity, its language and its values. The Quebec nation must control all the instruments that contribute to the development of its culture, just as the Canadian nation is able to do through the CRTC. With an administrative agreement, Quebec could create a Quebec Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (QRTC) that would have its own regulations to protect the interests and address the concerns of the Quebec nation. The Bloc Québécois believes it is unacceptable that the study on the Impacts of Private Television Ownership Changes and the Move Towards New Viewing Platforms will affect the future of Quebec television, and therefore Quebec culture, without the Committee having heard from the key players in the Quebec broadcasting industry. Quebec’s unique situation requires Quebec-specific solutions. In this situation, it would mean that decisions on the vertical integration of the media would be made by Quebeckers based on Quebec’s interests. In a sovereign Quebec, the Quebec nation would have the full authority to adapt its policies and regulations to the interests of the nation. Carole Lavallée Roger Pomerleau March 2011 |