MONTREAL – The Quebec language group Impératif français has complained to the federal government about the manner in which Rogers Cable handles French-language TV channels in Ontario, saying the carrier is demonstrating “contempt” for the province’s French speakers.
In a letter to federal Public Works Minister Michael Fortier, the group calls on the federal government to respond, by not renewing its cellular service contracts with Rogers Wireless.
It says Rogers no longer offers the Radio-Canada arts channel ARTV as part of its basic service, even though it says the station is made available at no cost to distributors in English Canada. Meanwhile, it says, Rogers has made room for several U.S. channels.
It also complains that in Ottawa, Rogers has placed the Quebec educational and cultural channel Télé-Québec higher on the dial than the U.S. PBS network.
It further notes that in southern Ontario, as of next month, Rogers plans to move three French-language channels – TVA, RDI, and TV5 – beyond the 100-channel mark, replacing them with two American movie channels and BBC World.
“The proliferation of foreign, English-language stations, to the detriment of Canadian French-language stations is made possible with the complicity of the CRTC and the Canadian government,” said the group’s President Jean-Paul Perreault in a statement. “It’s up to them to show some leadership and repair the damage.”
Officials at Rogers were not immediately available for comment.\
More to come.
