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CBC President Tells Media, Not Parliament About Plans for Local/Regional Programming

November 15, 2004

In an extraordinary development, the CBC president told a media scrum about management's plans for CBC local/regional programming after refusing to provide specifics when questioned by the parliamentary committee.

The following exchange took place during the media scrum that immediately followed the meeting of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to consider the Prime Minister's proposal that Robert Rabinovitch be reappointed as president of CBC for three years:

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Rabinovitch: We have said that in order to meet our objectives for Canadian programming, and I'm not talking about local or regional, that we would like the 60 million permanent plus another 40 million. If we had a hundred million and that was sort of inflation proof, we feel that that is the federal money that we need to do the type of Canadian quality programming in English and in French.

Question: How much for regional and local?

Rabinovitch: Regional and local we are putting together a program which would be costed in the range of about $75 million but it'll be spread over three years. The run rate at the end will be about 75 million. But remember when you talk about regional and local you're talking about 14 local supper hours in English, 13 supper hours in French let alone expanding into other cities which is what we'd also like to do.

Media: Why didn't you bring the plan today? Obviously that was their number one issue around the table, they want to know. And you held back from actually committing to saying this is what I want to do. Why didn't you give them that?

Rabinovitch: Well, for a very simple reason and that is I have to discuss the plan and present the plan to the minister.

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When questioned by the parliamentary committee, Rabinovitch had declined to provide specifics:

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Mr. Gary Schellenberger (Perth—Wellington, CPC): Thank you, madame chair, and I, too, wish to welcome Mr. Rabinovitch.

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As you know, this committee released a report called “Our Cultural Sovereignty” in June of 2003. I know that you have read that report with interest, and are aware that there are many recommendations concerning the CBC, nine to be precise. Mr. Rabinovitch, you have said some very complimentary things about the work of this committee. During an appearance before the committee on October 28, 2003, you said:

"I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the committee for its report on our cultural sovereignty. We agree with many of your recommendations. In this report you showed an understanding that we need the adequate, stable funding if CBC Radio-Canada is to meet its mandate and assign responsibilities. You also recommended that our funding be increased. You also recognize the unique circumstances of a television production environment, especially the length of time it takes to bring a program idea to the screen. This means we need multi-year funding to develop Canadian programming."

It's obvious you've read the report, and that's why I'm curious to know why the CBC has not replied to some of the recommendations that explicitly call for action from the CBC? For example, the committee recommends:

That the CBC deliver a strategic plan with established resource requirements to Parliament within one year of the tabling of this report on how it would fulfill its public mandate to, (a) deliver local and regional programming, (b) meet its Canadian programming objectives, and (c) deliver new media programming initiatives

These are on pages 218, 219, recommendation 6.3.

It's difficult for this committee to be able to evaluate the proposal the Prime Minister has put before us to reappoint you without knowing what your plan is. Can we expect a response to this recommendation before we get back to the Prime Minister?

Thank you.

Mr. Robert Rabinovitch: When I appeared before the committee, I endorsed, from the CBC's point of view, your report, and I thought it was very forward-looking. We appreciated the support that we received from the committee.

Since that time, there's been elections, and it has been difficult for a person in my position to seek guidance from the government. I have, in the last couple of weeks, had the opportunity to talk to the minister, and the minister has also very publicly stated her desire to support local and regional initiatives. We are very advanced in developing one and I would hope to bring it forward literally as soon as possible. My intention would be to bring it to the minister, as she would have to bring it to her colleagues, and bring it for financing, and as well I'd be more than willing at the time to bring it to this committee for a comprehensive discussion of its strengths and weaknesses.

Mr. Gary Schellenberger: Just a supplementary to that, I know when we posed somewhat the same question to the ministry officials who were here previously, they said much the same, that the election precluded them from bringing the response back to the report by November 14. I know that a lot of us, pretty well everyone around this table, was running for office at that time and we were preoccupied with getting re-elected. I wonder what you, or the ministry, was doing? Were they out campaigning through that time, that this report couldn't come in? I know it's a hypothetical question, but when dates are set, and it sounds like a good thing--I know we have to make dates--so should the CBC and the ministry not also meet those times?

Mr. Robert Rabinovitch: When I was here in October, if I recall correctly, I said that we would be ready within the year to come forward with a plan. We haven't been sitting on our hands. We have developed quite a comprehensive plan. I mentioned in my opening remarks it's a plan to extend service, it's a plan to extend service to Francophones, it's a plan to develop more local and regional news services. It is really quite well developed. We were waiting for a ministerial audience as we worked on it and as we completed it and, quite frankly, some ministerial guidance. We are in a position where we can bring this plan forward to the minister on very short notice. I have told her that we are ready to come forward and we will be going forward in a very short period of time.

I should also note that we have discussed it with our board in general terms and we have their approval. We have discussed it in general terms with officials. We have put a price tag on it that we are willing to go forward with and believe is the money we need to truly enhance local programming. We have not been sitting on our hands. We have used the opportunity. While you were out there campaigning we were trying to put together something that we could you that would be very useful.

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