Speeches and Interviews

May 16, 2000

Opening Remarks by Robert Rabinovitch to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage

Thank you very much for inviting us.

Let me introduce the Vice-President of English Television, Harold Redekopp.

We welcome this opportunity to consult with you and hear your concerns before our Board makes a final decision on the future of English television.

The CBC- in this case English television- is a treasured Canadian institution, with a special place in our society.

In the globalized world of the future, the need for a distinctive Canadian public broadcaster will only increase - Canada will need a CBC even more in the future than it does now.

We have a strength which I wish to focus on before continuing and that is the quality and loyalty of our staff. Without this commitment, we would be a shadow of what we put on the air. Our staff have suffered the cuts, they have been starved of funds and yet they have maintained a level of professionalism and quality second to none.

We have two fundamental problems: a financial crisis in the short-term and an identity crisis in the long-term.

As I outlined to you in February, English Television is in a serious financial crisis.

If CBC were a private sector company I would say it was structurally flawed and unless it addressed those structural problems it would be on its way to bankruptcy.

Let me put the current financial situation in historical context.

For the last 16 years English television has tried to continue to provide the same level of service with slashed budgets.

Through a series of band-aid solutions, one-time funds, increasing reliance on advertising dollars, and most important the unbelievable dedication of our employees, CBC has managed to keep its head above water.

Despite an increased dependence on advertising and many lay-offs English TV continues to be unable to balance its budget and maintain the current level of quality programming.

That Mr. Chairman is our short-term problem.

In the long-term, in order to be relevant and watched in a multi-channel universe dominated largely by programming from our neighbors to the south, we have to provide distinctive, quality, Canadian programming.

I want Canadians to know when they have landed on CBC television…just as they know they've landed on CBC radio when they twirl their radio dials.

Before Harold outlines management's plans to address both these issues, I would first like to correct some of the myths and misconceptions which have been circulating for the past few weeks.

First of all, all the proposed changes deal only with English television.

Our French services and English radio have met their financial commitments and are providing high quality public broadcasting.

In fact, in March the Board of Directors reinforced its commitment to our radio services by adding an additional $10M to their budgets dedicated to programming.

I repeat radio is not affected by the current discussions, nor is French Television.

Secondly, many people have confused local and regional services and stated that CBC intends to get out of the regions.

Our mandate, according to the Broadcasting Act, is to provide a national service which reflects Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions. We will continue to meet that mandate.

Any suggestion that CBC is leaving town is a gross misrepresentation.

We have NO intention of getting out of the regions. In fact our plans include increasing our journalistic presence to more communities /establishing a development seed fund to help regional ideas see the light of day/ and ensuring regional staff determine what people in their regions will see every night on the supper-hour news.

No one in Canada will lose access to the CBC signal.

Our plan will remake CBC Television the way that CBC Radio was redesigned in the '70's. It is comprehensive and multi-faceted.

These proposals to reposition English television in the new competitive reality are critical to its long-term survival and to get beyond the financial challenges.

Without fundamental change we will continue to slide into oblivion despite the heroic efforts of our staff.

Finally, some have suggested we continue with the status quo, let me make it perfectly clear, that option will lead to as many lay-offs as the plan we are presenting today given our financial crisis. This plan allows us to meet our mandate, within our budget and emerge as a true Canadian public broadcaster with distinct quality programming.

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