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Speech

Notes for an address

by Scott Hutton

Executive Director, Broadcasting, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

to the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages

Ottawa, Ontario

May 25, 2009

(This speech may have been altered during delivery)

Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the Committee.

My name is Scott Hutton and I am the Executive Director of Broadcasting. I am joined today by Annie Laflamme, Director of French-language Television Policy and Applications.

2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games
I would like to thank the Committee for having invited us to express our views on a matter of national importance. In less than a year, Canada will welcome athletes, media and spectators from dozens of countries as the host of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The competitions will be broadcast around the world in countless languages. And yet in Canada, we face the prospect that some 12,000 francophones may not have access to coverage of the Olympic Games in their own language on conventional television.

The International Olympic Committee awarded the domestic broadcasting rights to Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, which includes CTVglobemedia and Rogers Media. As it currently stands, the Olympic Games will be seen in French on the conventional television network TQS and the specialty services Réseau des sports (RDS) and Réseau info sport (RIS). In addition, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network will dedicate part of its French-language programming to the Olympic Games.

The Consortium intends to make TQS, RDS and RIS available free of charge to all cable companies that offer digital television services in markets with an English-speaking majority – and this, for the duration of the Olympic Games.

However, this will leave francophones who rely on over-the-air television signals or who subscribe to analog cable, without access to French coverage of the Games. Their options will be limited to watching English broadcasts or, for those who have access, relying on the Internet or mobile devices.

The best solution, as far as we can see, would be for CTVglobemedia and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to reach an agreement allowing the CBC to broadcast the competitions and the events surrounding the Games on its French-language television service.

CRTC efforts
In January, we held a public hearing to examine the broadcasting services available to Canada’s official-language minority communities. Both CTVglobemedia and the CBC appeared before us during the hearing. We took advantage of this opportunity to press the broadcasters on the issue of the Olympic Games.

When the CBC appeared on the first day, we were informed that negotiations with the Consortium had ground to a halt. We reminded the CBC that as a public broadcaster, it has a responsibility to serve Canadians in both official languages from one end of the country to the other. Moreover, only the CBC has the capacity to offer over-the-air television coverage of the Olympic Games to francophone minority communities.

We questioned CTVglobemedia the following day. In response to the suggestion that further discussions could be held with the CBC, Mr. Rick Brace, CTVglobemedia’s President of Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, told us: “In our view, it is just too late in the process now to turn back and try to make it happen.”

In our view, CTVglobemedia has a responsibility, as a private broadcaster using the public airwaves, to make sure that Canadians see national events like the Olympic Games in the official language of their choice.

Going into the public hearing, we wanted to hear a commitment from both sides. The answers we received were not satisfactory. We urged them to resume discussions and to find a solution so that French-language coverage of the Olympic Games is seen by the maximum number of francophones, both in Quebec and in the rest of Canada.

We feel that we have done everything in our power to bring the two parties together. Only commercial negotiations can lead to an agreement, and the Commission cannot intervene in this type of negotiation. Our role can be summed up as defining the principal objectives of the Broadcasting Act, and then establishing a regulatory framework that will enable the industry to attain them.

That being said, on April 17, the Chairman of the CRTC, Konrad von Finckenstein, wrote to CTVglobemedia and the CBC asking for an update. Attached herewith are copies of the Chairman’s letters and the two responses he received.

CTVglobemedia’s offer
On May 12, during its appearance before the House Standing Committee on Official Languages, CTVglobemedia explained that it had made a new offer to the CBC. This offer was rejected two days later when CBC management appeared before the same committee. From the CBC’s perspective, the financial stakes would be too high for it to accept CTV’s offer.

Today, we are once again calling on the goodwill of both parties in order to find an acceptable, fair and equitable solution that will enable all francophones in the country to have access to broadcasts of the competitions of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games in their mother tongue.

At the very least, we would like to see CTVglobemedia and the CBC to reach a compromise and negotiate an agreement on the broadcasting of the opening and closing ceremonies. Any Canadian who is interested should be able to see their athletes parading proudly, and watch the opening and closing shows in both official languages.

This is the largest international winter sporting event, and it will take place here in our own backyard. We believe that should count for a great deal during discussions between the broadcasters.

As we have already said, we are limited in terms of what we can do. Any steps that the members of this Committee can take to help find a solution would certainly be appreciated.

New Media
During our public hearing in January, we also explored the availability of broadcasting services through New Media. The Commission believes that these services could play a key role in enhancing the reflection of official-language minority communities in the Canadian broadcasting system.

There are a number of social networking websites that bring together people from dispersed communities who share a common interest, such as a language. For instance, groups can be created by Saskatchewan francophones or by anglophones living in Gaspé by using social networking software such as Facebook.

We were somewhat disappointed that official-language minority groups do not seem to have grasped this medium’s untapped potential, that it could be used in a variety of ways to support their cultural development.

We still believe that the New Media are the way of the future for francophone communities outside Quebec.

The Olympic Games provide a perfect opportunity to make full use of the new platforms. The Consortium has informed us that all of its programming, whether it originates on TSN or TQS, will be streamed live on its websites. Real-time updates and video will be available on mobile devices. And programming will also be available on-demand if you want to watch an event you missed earlier in the day.

While the Consortium’s strategy is commendable, much of this content is only accessible through a broadband Internet connection. We all know that there are many areas in this country where broadband is not yet available. The most recent federal budget set aside $225 million for the deployment of broadband Internet in remote communities. In addition, all of the provinces and territories have been developing their own initiatives to improve broadband access.

These are encouraging signs, but more needs to be done.

In the report we submitted to the federal government on March 30, we recommended that all levels of government should support the adoption and implementation of broadband Internet access in remote and rural official-language minority communities. Short-term solutions might include favouring cost-effective technologies, such as satellite or wireless Internet access.

Conclusion
In closing, everyone associated with the 2010 Olympic Games has a responsibility to do the country proud. And Canadians are entitled to watch the events, which are taking place in their own backyard, in the official language of their choice.

The Commission feels very strongly about this. We have encouraged CTVglobemedia and the CBC to work through the current impasse. We see no reason why they would be unable to reach a compromise.

We would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you.

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This document is available in alternative format upon request.

Date Modified: 2009-05-26

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