Audit Results

Page 10 of 25

2. MEASURES AND ACTIVITIES TO IMPLEMENT SECTION 41 OF THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT (cont.)

Policy Review

Commissioners appointed by the Governor in Council are responsible for making the CRTC’s decisions on granting, suspending, revoking and renewing licences. Although the Commissioner of Official Languages does not have the authority to question such decisions of individual application, these would normally be based on policies, guidelines and regulations. For the purpose of our audit, we examined those policies that generally establish standards in the broadcasting and telecommunications industries. More specifically, we looked at whether they take into account the CRTC’s obligations with respect to the development and vitality of official language minority communities and the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.

The CRTC implements the Broadcasting Policy for Canada and the Telecommunications Policy for Canada, which are described in their respective statutes. The Commission notes that it contributes to the vitality and development of linguistic communities through its authority under section 3 of the Broadcasting Act and section 7 of the Telecommunications Act, which are reproduced in full in Appendix C. However, the passages we believe most relevant are as follows.

Broadcasting Act

3. d) the Canadian broadcasting system should:

(i) serve to safeguard, enrich and strengthen the cultural, political, social and economic fabric of Canada;

(ii) encourage the development of Canadian expression by providing a wide range of programming that reflects Canadian attitudes, opinions, ideas, values and artistic creativity, by displaying Canadian talent in entertainment programming and by offering information and analysis concerning Canada and other countries from a Canadian point of view;

(iii) through its programming and the employment opportunities arising out of its operations, serve the needs and interests, and reflect the circumstances and aspirations, of Canadian men, women and children, including equal rights, the linguistic duality and multicultural and multiracial nature of Canadian society and the special place of aboriginal peoples within that society.

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3.  i) the programming provided by the Canadian broadcasting system should: 

(ii) be drawn from local, regional, national and international sources;

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3. k) a range of broadcasting services in English and in French shall be extended to all Canadians as resources become available.

Telecommunications Act

7. It is hereby affirmed that telecommunications performs an essential role in the maintenance of Canada's identity and sovereignty and that the Canadian telecommunications policy has as its objectives:

a) to facilitate the orderly development throughout Canada of a telecommunications system that serves to safeguard, enrich and strengthen the social and economic fabric of Canada and its regions;

b) to render reliable and affordable telecommunications services of high quality accessible to Canadians in both urban and rural areas in all regions of Canada;

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h) to respond to the economic and social requirements of users of telecommunications services.

 

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