Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Proposed cuts to CBC and especially our northern part of the National broadcast. Broadcasters CBC North. My colleagues, the Hon. Member for Iqaluit and Hon. Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs are to be commended for taking our concerns to the president of CBC in Ottawa. I understand they were treated properly and no promises were made to reduce a drastic cut planned for the CBC North.
Mr. Speaker, CBC North is looking at cuts of at least 30% from a total staff of about 160. That means at least 48 northerners will be losing their jobs. Inuvik has already been cut from 20 to 13 staff, Rankin Inlet has gone from 8 to 6, Iqaluit has already lost at least 3 positions, Yellowknife, close to 10 positions, and this is all in the last 4 years. Any more cuts are too much. This is bad news for CBC staff, it is bad news for all northerners. We have depended for 35 years on CBC Radio, and more recently, on CBC Television, to inform and entertain us in the north. It has been one of the constant factors in our world, whether in Resolute Bay, Fort McPherson or Baker Lake.
Many of the earliest native role models for us to follow have been broadcasters with the CBC North. The late Elijah M......, the late Joe Tobie, Erik Cornoyea, Joseph K......, Jonah Kelly, these are names familiar to the people of the north, in some cases, throughout Canada. How else could Charlie Paneguak, become known to Arthur Black and Peter Kozowski? How else could a first generation of northern performers get a chance to record their music in professional studios, and hear their work on the air? Ask Susan Aglukark, ask......., ask Charlie....... of Northern Quebec. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.