Speeches and Interviews

October 6, 1999

Address by Guylaine Saucier at the 5th NABA/EBU Conference

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure that I address you today, at the very end of this conference organized by the North American Broadcasters Association and the European Broadcasting Union, together with CBC French Radio. It is an honour for the CBC to have been associated with these prestigious organizations for the holding of this conference and to have welcomed within our walls such distinguished guests, speakers and participants. This is the first time that French Radio has been involved in organizing such a large-scale meeting specially focused on radio. Notice that the very first conference had been organized with English Radio in 1982.

I can assure you that the members of the Board of Directors and I feel that it is particularly important for the CBC, because of the responsibilities inherent to our role as public broadcaster, to take an active part in the development of this kind of meeting, where professionals have the chance to talk about the way they do their work, to discuss the evolution of their working environment and together to map out the way of the future. It is all the more interesting when the thinking takes place among people from different countries, as has been the case these past few days, as points of view are broadened and collectively we heighten our level of knowledge.

The topics you have had the opportunity to debate during the past few days are of crucial interest at the dawn of the new millennium.

If we compare the broadcasting environment of 63 years ago, when the CBC was created, to today's environment, it is clear that the multiplication of services and the revolution brought about by the arrival of the Internet have radically transformed the broadcast of information and the relationship between the people and the media. But it is also clear that, in spite of these radical changes in the broadcasting universe, each medium, whether radio, television or the Internet, has specific consumer needs to meet. It was believed, wrongly, that television would take the place of radio. It was also feared that the enthusiasm generated among Internet surfers for everything the Web had to offer them on their computer screens might affect television ratings. What we are seeing nowadays is that each medium has its role to play and that what content producers have to do is adjust their communication strategy to each of the various means of broadcasting. A synergy has to be created among the various media and full advantage must be taken of the possibilities offered by each one of them.

In the context of globalization of services, consolidation of interests and audience fragmentation, the CBC, right from the start, chose to stay in step with its audiences. This is why we launched our first Website five years ago, and also why we were the first public broadcaster to offer audio on our Website. The statistics prove that we were right. Currently, we provide more continuous audio and video content than any other site in Canada, that is, some 7,000 hours daily. Our English and French sites, all combined, generate 12 million page views a month, including 5 million for our news sites alone.

Through this medium, we can extend and strengthen our radio and television journalism, and produce, in audio, video or written form, reports that include interactive elements or are completed by exclusive content produced by our journalists specifically assigned to the new media. Digital radio, already a reality in Toronto and Vancouver, will also provide a more complete font of information for the consumer. For Canadians, this means access to top-quality Canadian information, wherever they are and whenever they want it.

Providing very high-calibre information in order to set the journalistic standard is at the very heart of the CBC mandate. This is also what we reaffirmed in the Corporation's strategic plan, unveiled in March, 1999, when we reiterated that, in the future, as in the past, our news and information programs would serve as standards in Canada's journalistic environment.

The CBC plays a leadership role in the journalistic field, and we have every intention of enhancing this reputation even further. Canadians trust us and the surveys prove it. For our part, we make it our business to warrant this trust by offering balanced, top-quality information services.

As a public broadcaster, the CBC stands out in three ways with regard to journalism: the scale of its news and information services, the quality of its information, and its journalistic independence.

The CBC is the most extensive and the largest news organization in Canada. We are the only news organization providing coverage from across the country, in both official languages. We also provide services in eight Aboriginal languages. Thanks to our regional stations, Canadians from all regions are informed of events wherever they occur throughout the country. We also have correspondents abroad, in varying permutations and situations, to report on major events taking place internationally.

The CBC also plays a major role when it comes to training new journalists. In our newsrooms, young journalists come to learn how to ply their trade in a setting in which the most rigorous standards of quality in Canada are observed. Unlike organizations in the private sector, our radio and television stations, as well as Internet content producers still benefit today from newsrooms run by actual journalists. By training and giving exposure to the new generation of journalists, as we have done in the past, the CBC provides a legacy whereby matters of public interest and major issues will go on receiving appropriate, fair and balanced coverage.

The quality of the information provided by the national public broadcaster is in fact a CBC priority. The Corporation is governed by performance requirements that differ from those in private enterprise, but we nevertheless have an obligation always to make our choices according to how we can best fulfil our mandate as it is defined in the Broadcasting Act. We have the responsibility of being the organization that best informs listeners, viewers and Internet surfers.

Even if the CBC is a public broadcaster belonging to government, which provides it with a large share of its funding, it is not a state broadcaster. It is an independent agency having an arm's-length relationship with the government. This is very clearly expressed in the Broadcasting Act and there are mechanisms to protect this independence.

For instance, even if the CBC is a federal government agency, it is exempted from answering inquiries made under the Access to Information Act, with a view to protecting the work of its journalists and leaving them full freedom to act. It is of utmost importance to safeguard this exemption. The CBC's ability to present events and the major items in the news free of fear of intervention makes a vital contribution to Canadian democracy.

The credibility of our journalistic activities, however, is of central importance to the CBC. We were the first national broadcaster to create an Ombudsman's position so as to provide the public with an impartial and independent authority to deal with complaints pertaining to CBC journalism. The Ombudsman evaluates programs in the light of the three principles underlying the CBC's journalistic policy, namely accuracy, integrity and balance. The Ombudsman's jurisdiction extends to all information aired by the CBC, regardless of the medium: radio, television or Internet. In some cases, the Ombudsman seeks the assistance of independent advisory committees.

Since this position was created, in 1991, persons of great merit have been there to ensure the excellence of our information programs. I wish to mention the work of David Bazay, the Ombudsman for the English Networks, who has been acting as the French Network Ombudsman since last May, when Marcel Pépin passed away. Mr. Pépin did an outstanding job in this position for close to two years and we all miss him very much.

A public broadcaster must constantly reconsider the way it meets the needs of the people. It must also take into account the development of communication means and the transformation of the environment. This must not take place in a vacuum, but rather with everyone involved in the creative and communication process.

So the CBC will continue to be involved in the organization of events like the one you have experienced in recent days. It is of utmost importance to keep holding forums on topics and issues that are of concern to you, you who are responsible for handling the information presented to the public.

I look forward therefore to welcoming you again at a future meeting. Thank you!