Good evening. Thanks very much for having made a little room for me in your program at the last minute! I have good reasons for wanting to come to the summit. I am very happy to be with you and to speak to you now as the minister of international development.
| Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
| speeches
The CRTC is Canada’s independent broadcasting system regulator. It is an arms-length entity that has been empowered by the Canadian Parliament to, in part, protect, preserve and promote Canadian audiovisual content in the face of external cultural influences.
A strong culture of competition also means that strong institutions are in place to maintain accountability for the rules and guardrails that support competition. While enforcers and the courts are responsible for addressing anticompetitive conduct, media, academia, the legal community, business leaders, consumers, the media, and academia each play a vital role in bringing competition issues to the forefront of public discourse. Events such as these, which bring together thought leaders from within Canada, are a prime example of this.
Today is the first day of our Annual Financial Literacy Month. This year marks its 9th anniversary. Throughout November, we collaborate with organizations from across the country to increase awareness, host events and share resources aimed at helping Canadians ‘Take Charge of their Finances’ – which is our theme for this year’s campaign.
It’s a pleasure to be invited to speak to you during this, our 9th annual Financial Literacy Month. Throughout November, we collaborate with organizations like yourselves to increase awareness, host events and share resources aimed at helping Canadians ‘Take Charge of their Finances’ – which is our theme for this year’s campaign.
| Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
| speeches
Given the rapid pace of change in the industry, I believe the theme of this year’s conference – Futureproofing Broadcasting – is spot-on. A key challenge facing broadcasters today is how to take advantage of ever-more sophisticated digital technologies.
| Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
| speeches
I want to also thank the conference organizers for inviting the CRTC to be a part of the inaugural edition of this event. Congratulations to all of you who have worked so hard to pull off a first-class – and Canada’s first ever – Rural and Remote Broadband Conference.
| Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
| speeches
Today, we will be examining the licence renewal applications of four radio stations in British Columbia and an ownership transaction regarding two of these stations.