Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t say enough about the importance of community radio stations to the fabric of small town lives. I wish I could show Dennis Allen’s great film about CBQM radio in this House. I would recommend it to all the Members and everyone listening. In fact, I would recommend it to everyone in Canada. It’s that good and it shows the real life, humour and spirit of our communities. Someone else wants to talk.
Of course, anyone living within earshot of Fort Providence should tune in to CHFP radio, operated by Zhatie K’oe Friendship Centre. Someone else wants to talk.
Community radio stations keep everyone notified about local events, often host programs in Aboriginal languages, and foster communication. Many good stories are shared over our airways.
These stations are all run on a shoestring. If you can believe it, many survive on a $6,000 a year grant from Education, Culture and Employment. That has to cover the cost of a part-time coordinator, any music or supplies they have to buy, you name it. Oh, and that is supposed to fund local access television as well.
If memory serves me, the grant has not increased in the past 20 years. I know that the current budget of $52,000 per year is the same as it was in 2001. Community broadcasting has clearly not been a priority of this government.
The backbone of the community radio system was built by the Native Communications Society. I’m happy to say that its signal, CKLB radio, reaches 33 communities. Someone else wants to talk.
NCS installed most of the equipment for the stations and has tried, against all odds and without much money, to maintain them.
A crisis is brewing for our community stations due to the age of existing equipment, the state of facilities and the speed that technology is changing. NCS is struggling to keep up. In some communities it’s already a challenge to stay on the air. I’m told that critical improvements can be made for $7,000 to $27,000 per community, depending on the existing setup. This is an investment in the future that is very much worth making. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.