OTTAWA – The federal government asked the CRTC on Friday to report on the accessibility and quality of broadcasting services offered to minority French- and English-language communities.
The request is part of a government-wide initiative, called the Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality 2008-2013, that is aimed at strengthening the vitality of minority official language communities.
The government said in a statement that it was time to re-look at the issue given the proliferation of new technologies that has transformed the broadcast industry in recent years.
“As the Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality attests, our government takes very seriously the need to offer appropriate services to Francophones and Anglophones living in a minority-language situation,” said Canadian Heritage Minister Josee Verner. “Our request to the CRTC reflects our commitment to the promotion of both official languages.”
The CRTC is being asked to solicit the views of Canadians on this matter, and to identify the broadcast challenges facing minority official-language communities.
