I hope you had a safe and happy summer! Now that school has returned, this is a reminder to be extra cautious of children on our streets and school buses on our roads.
My focus continues to be jobs and the health of our local economy. Thank-you to those local employers for participating in the recent “opportunities” session at AECL. The best source of new jobs is to assist existing employers grow their business. With many of the best opportunities in our own backyard, I am pleased to encourage companies to pursue existing opportunities they may not have considered.
Many regular viewers of local television station CHRO-TV Pembroke have noticed a change as of September 1st. No longer the ‘A’ Channel, our Valley television station has disappeared, with the few remaining local jobs associated with the TV station long gone. This has been replaced by their owner Bell Media Inc. for a uniform corporate look indistinguishable from CTV, which is also owned by Bell Media. A series of rulings from the CRTC has allowed for the gradual loss of our local TV station in much the same way as state broadcaster CBC has been unresponsive to criticism on how it spends the over 1 billion dollars it receives in direct taxpayer dollars to deliver Canadian programming that is fair and balanced.
I would like to hear from you on this issue. Is it important for the Upper Ottawa Valley to have its own TV station? Do you approve of the changes to our local station? How often do you watch CHRO-TV Pembroke?
In the words of the CRTC regulatory commission, “for over fifty years, (television), in return for regulatory supports and protections, has been obligated to meet requirements for the exhibition of a diversity of Canadian programming. In this new digital era, with the many different platforms available to deliver information, it may be the Broadcasting Act, which regulates TV and all other forms of signal distribution, has been made too hopelessly outdated by technology and the marketplace.
As a Member of the Standing Committee on Industry, I have a direct role to play to ensure that the Canadian Broadcasting system remains responsive to public demand. You have a direct role to play to let me know what you expect from the Canadian broadcasting system.
As your Federal Member of Parliament, I am pleased to represent you on a variety of issues. Whether that issue is eliminating the long gun registry, promoting agriculture, international trade, AECL, the military or jobs in the working forest, I am here to serve you!
As always, if you have any concerns of a federal nature, or just want to share your views with me, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Office contact Information: Constituency Office of Cheryl Gallant, MP, 84 Isabella St., Pembroke On. K8A 5S5 or call 732-4404. There is no postage required when you write your Federal Member of Parliament.