Speeches and Interviews

March 31, 1999

Our Commitment to Canadians: The CBC's Strategic Plan

Speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa — Perrin Beatty

For nine days in March, hundreds of Canadians from 11 cities and towns across the country took the time to tell Canada's broadcast regulator what they thought of public broadcasting in general and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in particular. Among the intervenors who appeared before the CRTC consultations on the CBC was a scattering of well-known politicians and local celebrities. But for the most part, the people who participated in person, by letter or, in the case of the North, by teleconference, were the kind of typical Canadian listeners and viewers who form the mainstay of both private and public broadcasting in this country.

Their complaints and compliments ranged from predictable to poetic. In Vancouver, a resource economist from Bowen Island described Canada's national broadcaster as "the candle that illuminates the very corners of this country and the very soul of Canadians." A rural physician from the west coast of Newfoundland drove eight hours across the province to lament to a St. John's panel that weak radio receivers in his area deprived him of CBC's Radio Two. A Winnipeg homemaker described the CBC as an educational lifeline for thousands of Canadians who stayed at home, either by choice or by necessity. "I am a firm believer in lifelong learning," she said, "and the CBC, both radio and television, continue to be part of my university." And then there was the New Brunswick woman who, while preparing her presentation to the CRTC, casually asked friends if they had anything to add about the CBC. She arrived at the meeting room in Moncton with 20 letters that in retrospect captured the prevailing mood of the national consultations. In her words: "Although the comments and letters they wrote were quite different from one another — some measured, some cranky, some passionate — all of them showed support for the CBC."

The message delivered by that cross-section of Canadians is clear and eloquently simple: We want more, not less, CBC. Why is that? One reason is that CBC stands as one of the few remaining great Canadian institutions. Our consciousness as a country has often been underserved, if not threatened, as one by one the symbols of our nationhood have been weakened or emptied of their significance. Canadians are well aware that a profusion of predominately American specialty channels and communication technologies are poised to engulf not only this country but other indigenous cultures around the world as well. They appreciate the fact that, over more than six decades, the CBC has evolved as the most important provider of Canadian programs that deliberately and with great care reflect both the landscape of this country and the people who inhabit it. They know it, and they want more.

Last week the CBC released a far-reaching document entitled Our Commitment to Canadians, The CBC's Strategic Plan. In it we chart a course for the CBC that refines our mission, establishes core priorities, explores new services and consolidates and improves our existing activities. In essence, it represents the CBC of tomorrow. At the very heart of this renewal, as fresh today as it was from the outset, is the CBC's unwavering covenant with Canadians that as their national public broadcaster we will tell Canadian stories, provide Canadians with relevant news and information, support and contribute to Canada's rich cultural capital and build bridges between seemingly disparate communities and regions.

But the CBC of tomorrow must also adapt to an environment that changes day by day. Molded but not bound by its past, the CBC must embrace evolution, not recoil from it. No one in this industry can afford to sleep through the communications revolution already underway. The pioneers of public broadcasting did not create the CBC to see it overtaken or marginalized by new technologies or by multiplying services. They created it with the expectation that it would grow alongside Canadians. They gave it the flexibility to design new tools — whether they be for radio, television or new media services — to not only define a nation but also co-exist as an integral part of it. Most of all, the CBC envisioned by its founders and now rejuvenated by this strategic plan is true to the document's title — committed to serving Canadians who not only own the CBC but who rightfully expect and deserve the best for their hard-earned money.

I am not the first to say that Canadian cultural policy is once again at a critical crossroads. Frankly, at the end of the day, Canada's cultural policy initiatives will only flourish if there is a public and a political will to make them happen. No matter how they may be portrayed here at home, recent decisions at the World Trade Organization negotiating table have signaled that many of the tools Canada uses to protect its cultural policy are under siege and indeed may not even survive. In the midst of this uncertainty is the CBC. This country's public broadcasting system is the one cultural instrument we have that is capable of withstanding the scrutiny and rigours of international trade legislation. As such, the CBC is the single most important instrument the government has at its disposal to promote and protect this country's cherished cultural sovereignty.

In good company, the CBC itself is at a crossroads. Emerging from a decade of cutbacks, the CBC was faced with two choices. There are those who argue that we should abandon services, such as television, and ignore developments that include the Internet and reconfigured corporate infrastructures that are reshaping our industry. Others believe that it is important to secure the future of public broadcasting by evolving as Canadians evolve, in a way that corresponds to how, when, why and where our audiences use the media. Rather than shrinking our way to greatness, the CBC in this scenario would confront the future in a fiscally prudent but aggressive campaign that does not seek to catch the wave of change as much as search for ways to stay ahead of it.

With this bold and ambitious Strategic Plan, we have obviously chosen the latter course of action. When you examine the options, there really is no other choice. Poll after poll tells us that the majority of Canadians think the same way. They too face the future with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. They too are convinced that a 21st century, full-service and fully Canadian CBC that is dedicated to connecting Canadians and telling their stories is needed more than ever.

In today's competitive and highly volatile environment, we feel it is better to act than to retreat. On May 25, we will take our strategic plan before the CRTC for a round of licence-renewal hearings that will determine much more than just our own future. At stake is a critical element of Canadian cultural policy that cannot be reclaimed at some other time, or perhaps at any cost. The hearings involve a top-to-bottom review of the operation of our radio and television networks, RDI and Newsworld, as well as regional television. What the CRTC wants to know is how the CBC's programming will differ from the programming of private broadcasters and how our plans reflect our role as a public broadcaster.

One of the questions I expect to be asked by the CRTC is "How much is enough?" The answer is simple. The CBC is looking for three things. First, we need a reaffirmation of the importance of public broadcasting. Canadians may be critical of some elements of the CBC — in the long-standing nature of our relationship, we wouldn't be CBC and we wouldn't be Canadian if it were any different. But they are critical because, like those citizens who appeared before the CRTC earlier this month, they want more, not because they want less. Second, we need genuinely stable, not predictable, funding. And third, we need to have our hands untied. That means giving us the freedom to change as Canadians are changing. It also means providing the CBC with the proper tools to enable us to break away from confining structural obstacles that no longer work, to develop specialty services that will allow us to offer more Canadian programming, serve Canadians in the way they now consume media and amortize expensive production costs. That is all we need. Then we will stand or fall on our ability to produce high-quality Canadian content.

As a cornerstone of our plan for the future, the CBC has identified 12 key commitments that we are prepared to offer our stakeholders to ensure that we are all traveling on the same path.

First and foremost, we will provide programming of interest to all Canadians. All Canadians own the CBC and everyone has the right to find programming of interest on our services. Those services includes sports programming, which is a significant part of Canada's heritage — you need only think of Paul Henderson's triumphant goal in the 1972 Canada Cup series — and also very much within the domain of CBC's expertise. On a larger palette, the CBC can only be relevant to Canadians if we offer a wide range of programming, some with broad appeal. We reject the argument made by some that we should become an elitist service that forsakes general programming and concentrates only on what the commercial sector does not want. That is not only a shortsighted but also a potentially perilous venture. Nothing should be or is beyond the CBC's scope or interest.

We will provide a pan-Canadian reflection throughout our programming. There is ample opportunity for the CBC to do even more to illustrate and celebrate the diversity of Canada. We have a unique ability to connect Canadians and help them discover each other. In this regard, the differences between the public and private sectors are readily apparent. Quite simply, the mandate of the CBC is to reflect Canada to Canadians while the bottom line of private broadcasters is quite properly based on maximizing profit. For Canada's cultural identity to survive, Canadians must see themselves and their country reflected on their airwaves. The prismatic face of that country is one in a state of perpetual evolution. Accordingly, we must increase the number of new voices that represent our cultural diversity in order to provide the complete and vibrant picture that is ours to discover.

We will strengthen our distinctive presence in the regions. Some people are convinced that we should tear up our regional roots and retreat to the confines of narrowly specialized services. Canadians expect the CBC to present more than a view from the top of Mount Royal in Montreal or the CN Tower in Toronto. Besides, as one Regina resident noted during the CRTC hearings, and I quote: "CBC's Toronto building just isn't tall enough to show us much of the rest of Canada."

Throughout the process of developing a dynamic and evolving strategic plan, we were mindful of the need to balance a strong national network with an equally robust reflection of the regions. Despite a decade of debilitating budget cuts, we did not close one regional station. Instead, we sought efficiencies in our existing programming and, in fact, extended services. A strong presence in Canada's regions is crucial to the health and continuing relevance of the CBC. Already more than 50% of our programming is produced in, or reflects, the regions. We plan to increase that amount even more. English Television, for instance, will return program time to the regions and inject more funds into regional programming. French Television will set aside five million dollars to work with the independent production community in regions across Canada.

We will revitalize English Television through Canadianization. The CBC is a national touchstone as well as a local raconteur. We are the only broadcaster to provide a virtually all-Canadian English television schedule in prime time across the country. Part of the battle for an independent Canada rests upon our ability to ensure that my 14-year-old and my 11-year-old sons, and every other child in this country, understand their own history and their own institutions. Children are interesting barometers of popular culture. If programs don't appeal to them, they simply turn away. They, like their parents, certainly will not watch Canadian programs out of a sense of duty to Canadian culture. In the end, Canadians of all ages demand and expect high quality products — especially when they are paying for them out of their own pockets. Despite the grumbles in some circles that Canadiana does not sell, statistics tell a different story. Two weeks ago, the latest numbers on audience shares were released for the viewing period between September 1998 and the middle of February, nine of the top 10 Canadian series air under the CBC English Television banner.

We will provide Canada's premier news and information service. Our journalistic leadership and expertise are among CBC's greatest strengths. As Canada's largest news organization, the CBC employs more than 800 people in different journalistic functions. When something happens in Canada or abroad, Canadians automatically turn to CBC for balanced, comprehensive and timely information. We pride ourselves in our arms-length relationship with the government that funds us and we seek to build upon a reputation that speaks for itself.

We will support French language and culture throughout Canada. Living as we do in the nation's capital, everyone in this room knows how vibrant and rich the French heritage is in Quebec, in the Acadian regions and within francophone communities pocketed across the country. The CBC has proved instrumental in keeping the French language and culture alive and thriving across Canada. We are the only broadcaster with a French-language journalistic force west of Ottawa. Our Internet site is a key source of information and news about the francophone culture. We have pledged to build upon our numerous sponsorships, performances and linkages with the communities we serve and showcase. In a global and fractured universe, fulfilling this unequaled role becomes even more imperative.

We will build bridges between French and English cultures and communities. Living in a country with two official languages is a privilege. Operating the only national organization that broadcasts on radio and television in those two languages is a responsibility that the CBC more than lives up to. In fact, putting the two cultures together is one of the most exciting challenges we have undertaken. In the coming years, we will increase the exchanges of on-air personalities and intensify our efforts to produce cross-cultural programming such as CBC Newsworld's and RDI's jointly produced Culture Shock/ Culture Choc, English Radio's C'est la Vie and Anglosong on French radio. As Canada enters a new century, the CBC French and English television will air the cross-cultural series Canada - A People's History, an unprecedented 30 hours of programs produced in English and French that, for the first time, will offer a common interpretation of Canadian history.

We will champion Canada's arts and culture. The CBC is Canada's electronic stage. Some of the most enduring Canadian performing icons ascended to stardom from television and radio shows that are themselves pressed into Canada's collective memory. With a renewed and revitalized mandate, the CBC will continue to showcase our artists, writers, musicians and creative talent. We will sponsor festivals, hold live performances, produce and market CDs and highlight artists on our Web sites. We will increase our support of the Canadian feature film industry with additional investments, screen time and promotion. For more than six decades we provided the Canadian cultural community opportunities to share their talents. Now we must open the door even wider.

We will develop a constellation of new services to better respond to Canadians. When Canadians say they want more and not less CBC, their eyes are not fixed on the past. The CBC of tomorrow must be available to all Canadians, wherever and whenever they choose to consume media. To that end, last year we applied to the CRTC for four additional French-language specialty channels, all in partnership, and two English-language channels that will allow us to exercise our mandate more widely. The hearings on the English Channels have yet to take place, but in the hearings for the French services, our Unions as well as over 500 francophone groups, many of them outside Québec, unequivocally supported our request for new specialty channels. Like Newsworld and RDI before them, every one of these specialty channels would be financially self-sustaining and would add immeasurable value to the CBC family of services. As well, in February of this year we were before the CRTC for permission to create an all-news, 24-hour French radio and Internet service called InfoRadio. Again this request was fully supported by our Unions, groups and opinion leaders, who understood that the CBC's future rests upon acquiring new services. If given the opportunity, we are also prepared to launch a national youth radio network to provide a forum for young Canadians to share their music, their issues, ideas and dreams. These applications to the CRTC are not mere whimsies, concocted by an over-zealous head office eager to jump into the player's ring to compete with the private sector. They represent very real gaps in our country's programming that need to be filled by a public broadcaster. In turn, we ask for the proper tools to carry out the task we have been charged to do.

We will play a leadership role in new media and new technology. Of all the adventures the CBC has embarked upon, few have been more personally satisfying than our successful foray into the realm of new media. There is not a shred of doubt that the CBC belongs — indeed, will thrive — in this new medium. Already, we have established a secure foothold on the Web. The sky is of course the limit. But the prudent course for the CBC at this time is a commitment of 2% of our appropriation to stake out an important piece of territory for Canada in a medium where Canadian voices risk being submerged.

The second front of the technological revolution is digital television and radio. As communications technologies converge, digitization will allow easy passage from one medium to another. By the end of this year, 35% of Canadians will be offered digital radio services, with several markets already on stream. In contrast, the significant cost related to the introduction of digital television poses challenges for all Canadian broadcasters. The CBC, in partnership with the private sector, is committed to adapting and upgrading its production and distribution infrastructures as soon as new and cost-effective technologies become available.

We will modernize and open up the corporate culture. Looking back upon the 60s and 70s, one could argue that the CBC was a spoiled child raised in the lap of luxury. Like many privileged progeny, we may not have realized it then. The Corporation was too busy building a national icon that brimmed with talent and dedication and lacked for neither funds nor creative energy. Paradoxically, the spillover from those flush years may well have sustained the CBC through the darkest decade of its history. Certainly, the CBC is a vastly changed entity today. The talent and dedication of the gifted people who work for and with the CBC have not diminished. But we no longer operate in an industrial cocoon. Like many Canadian businesses forced to reduce staff and reorganize priorities, we have transformed ourselves into a nimble, much leaner operation.

Despite the difficulty of recently completed budget cuts, the CBC has positioned itself to enter one of the most challenging eras of broadcast history with a future that is based on the opportunities before us rather than on the limitations of the past. Changes are necessary if we are to effectively meet the objectives of our strategic plan, open up the corporate culture to the new competitive environment and achieve the necessary efficiencies that will allow us to grow. We will forge more alliances with the private sector and foreign partners in keeping with a growing industry trend. The more we work with the private sector, the more flexibility we will require to enable us to operate freely in the marketplace. As for the foundation of purpose and resolve upon which the CBC was built, some things are just plain immovable.

Finally, we will provide a view of Canada abroad. The closer the world draws upon us, the more important it becomes to provide a view of Canada beyond its borders. The CBC fulfills this role with the celebrated presence of Radio Canada International, the voice and symbol of Canada abroad, as well as with our partnership with Power Corporation in Trio and Newsworld International, our new media services and an array of international exchanges, alliances and marketing activities. A strong international presence signifies more than just the confidence and maturity of Canada's public broadcaster. It represents those very same traits in the character of the country that supports it.

Those commitments will set the course for the CBC of tomorrow. Of course there will be those who exclaim that it can't be done, that our goals are too ambitious and too expensive to fulfill. They will likely be the same naysayers who predicted that the CBC would be devoured by the $400-million cut to our annual budget. We not only survived those cuts, but we expanded services. They may be the pessimists who then proclaimed that we could never Canadianize our television schedules while chopping the kind of money that would make other businesses blanche. We not only accomplished that objective within our financial means but have a string of awards to prove that it was a job that was exceedingly well done. What we have done here is to set targets for ourselves that are ambitious and even potentially painful — but within our grasp.

What we are saying to both the government and the Canadian public is, "Give us the chance to enter the new century even stronger and more productively creative than before." What we are not saying is, "Write us a blank cheque to make it happen." Every item in our Strategic Plan, no matter how big or small, is achievable within the financial envelope that governs our actions. We will continue to ask the government for genuinely stable appropriations and for the ability to seek one-time funding in special cases of national concern, such as the preservation of our invaluable archives and conversion to digital television. Everything else will be financed within CBC's own resources — through our government appropriation, through the annual 2% productivity enhancement program we initiated in the fall of 1998 and through strategic partnerships and advertising revenues that comprise more than 30% of our revenues.

Had we the keys to the treasury, of course, we could have done much more. For instance, we could have dramatically increased our commitment to new media and still been ahead of the game. As it is, our annual allotment is modest, compared to the BBC or US commercial networks.

I would not stand before you today if I did not believe that this is the right road for the CBC to take. As you may know, my term as CBC's President and CEO is almost over. In order to steer the CBC through projects and obligations initiated during my stay in one of the most interesting jobs in Canada, I agreed to extend my duties until September. By that time, the CBC should be on the stable ground it has sought but could not find for more than a decade.

During my four years at CBC's helm, my admiration has grown enormously for the creative and dedicated people who have worked heart and soul to realize what they stubbornly refuse to consider as an impossible dream. They are the lifeblood of an icon and a national treasure that touches every Canadian; they are what make it real.

In the end, the Canadians they serve and the stories they tell about them are what matter most. And so it is that I must turn to one such Canadian for a final word on why those stories mean so much. Actually, Reverend Katie Stein Sather adopted Canada when she moved here from the United States 25 years ago this month. Once settled in Edmonton, the sources she turned to learn about her new country were Pierre Berton's books and the CBC. Two years ago, she and her husband loaded two small canoes on top of their small truck and drove across the continent with their dog and two cats to take up residence in St.John's. In early March, she appeared before the CRTC hearings at the Battery Hotel. "Once we had moved into our new house here in Newfoundland," she told them, "the CBC, because it was a constant across the country, was the only bit of something familiar for quite a while. Oh sure, we made friends among the folks here. We even had friends who had moved here before us from Alberta. But it was the CBC who was our closest friend, the one we knew best."

Coming from the United States, Reverend Sather was raised with a wealth of stories about frontier settlers and all kinds of heroes, including her father who passed on his personal tales of World War II. "I knew about the tribe I grew up in," she said. "Now though, I live in Canada and I want to know about this tribe…. The tribal storyteller, CBC is much more than mere entertainment. The stories form us and our identity. They tell us who we are, where we have come from and what our hopes and dreams for the future are. The storytellers' stories do nothing more or less than keep us together." It is on behalf of Canadians like Rev. Sather that the CBC now embarks upon its future.