Canadian Heritage committee  It is too early to tell you what the board of directors is going to be considering this fall. The plan is not yet finished—

Canadian Heritage committee  —and deliberations are still ongoing.

Canadian Heritage committee  We are going to be looking at how we organize our resources so we can continue the digital transition, in a universe where conventional linear media are in decline and audiences are going over to the digital giants' platforms. We want to continue to be a relevant public broadcaster.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify my thinking on that point, Mr. Kmiec. We are currently looking into how we are organized for continuing the digital transition in the very long term. The editorial independence of both Radio-Canada and the CBC is extremely precious and we are going to protect it, because that is what preserves the distinctiveness of each of the media in its own market.

Canadian Heritage committee  There are still several places in the organization where we could work more closely. That does not relate to programming; it relates to the technologies, and here I am talking about the technologies that will be used to build the future, not the technologies of the past. Official language minority communities are a perfect example of how the CBC and Radio-Canada can collaborate.

Canadian Heritage committee  Madam Chair, I will be happy to answer the member's question. Mr. Gourde, I think that allegation is false. There is no doubt that Radio-Canada is distinctive; I entirely agree with you. That also applies to the distinctive nature of the CBC among anglophones in the rest of the country.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes. Thank you for your question. Madam Chair, I think the MP is misinformed. We don't comment specific on HR files, but I don't think the MP is conveying information that's completely accurate. Since it is anonymous information, it's very hard for us to be able to respond in a specific way, but I will say that we take all allegations very seriously—

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you for your question.

Canadian Heritage committee  I'll simplify and summarize. We take very seriously all allegations of harassment and violence in the workplace. We assess those claims. We investigate those claims with external investigators. There are rules around those investigations that are regulated. There's a law, actually, that we have to follow in the labour code.

Canadian Heritage committee  What I can tell them is that a large majority of the positions that were eliminated were already vacant, so we limited the number of layoffs we did. There were proportionately twice as many layoffs among managers as among unionized employees. At the end of the fiscal year, of the 346 positions, there were a few more at the CBC than at Radio-Canada, and so the initial fear did not materialize.

Canadian Heritage committee  …is dealing with a long‑term structural deficit. The issue of multi‑year funding for the public broadcaster has never been resolved.

Canadian Heritage committee  Since we made this announcement, in December, we've distributed about 100 layoff notices at both the CBC and Radio‑Canada, including...

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, in total. This includes institutional components. The CBC had slightly more than Radio‑Canada. That's where we stand, at the end of January.

Canadian Heritage committee  It's worth noting that, every year, around 250 people leave the company voluntarily. There are also 200 retirements. There were 200 vacant positions. There's a great deal of movement in our workforce. I completely agree with you. Obviously, some employees are worried. The employees are keenly aware that the public broadcaster…

Canadian Heritage committee  We have a system whereby targets can be partially met, not met or overachieved. We go through that system. We present this to the board. At the end of the year the board approves the performance of the organization.