New Woman on the Job

[OpenMike]

Verner inherits tough tasks

Heritage Minister will deal with fate of CTF and be involved in picking new CBC president
GRANT ROBERTSON


From Thursday's Globe and Mail

August 16, 2007 at 4:00 AM EDT

Josée Verner's appointment as Heritage Minister may have more to do with the government's desire to boost its presence in Quebec at a crucial time than with any lofty plans to shakeup the broadcasting sector, sources in Ottawa suggest.

Events marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City next year have been moved up the priority list at Heritage. And this week's cabinet shuffle, which saw Ms. Verner replace Bev Oda as the minister in charge, are an indication of the new focus, observers said.

The 47-year-old MP, whose riding encompasses parts of Quebec City and its surrounding area, comes to the job with no background in the broadcasting industry, but she is a larger presence in the Francophone community, having worked for former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa.

Marc Raboy, a professor of media policy at McGill University in Montreal, said yesterday that her appointment raises the profile of Quebec inside Heritage. At the same time, sources indicate there are concerns the Harper government has lagged in its preparations for the 2008 events, with much of the groundwork being handled by Ms. Verner in her previous role as Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages.

A low profile despite years of political experience
New Heritage minister inherits a full plate
"You could look at that as the tip of the iceberg of the government's relatively low profile on Heritage questions in Quebec," Mr. Raboy said. "That's probably the main reason why she's been put into that position."

Beyond that one issue, Ms. Verner takes over Heritage at a tumultuous time for the broadcasting industry.

Ms. Verner will likely be involved in selecting a new CBC president to replace outgoing head Robert Rabinovitch.

More pressing, however, is the continuing feud between cable providers and the $265-million Canadian Television Fund.

The fund's largest contributor, Shaw Communications Inc., has raised concerns about how dollars are spent at the CTF, threatening to pull its support. Though Ms. Oda called a review of the fund, Ms. Verner takes over a fractious situation. If a report on the future of the CTF doesn't satisfy Shaw, the company could again threaten to walk away.

In a recent interview, Shaw chief executive officer Jim Shaw criticized Ms. Oda for her handling of the CTF file. Beyond appointing a task force to review the fund, he said the company has not been told very much by Heritage.

An official with Quebecor Inc., which supported Shaw in its push for reforming the fund, said yesterday it was encouraged by the appointment of Ms. Verner. Luc Lavoie, a spokesman for the company, said Ms. Verner has an understanding of the differences between the English Canadian TV market, which buys much of its programming from the United States, and the Francophone TV sector, which produces most of its own shows.