Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, I want to thank our witnesses for coming to meet with us today. I believe all committee members appreciate the information you are giving them. These are, in many cases, complex issues that we do not know very much about. Your contribution is of enormous help to us.
You all talked about issues regarding the visibility of Canadian music, but especially you, Mr. Bisaillon. Like some of you, I attended the Juno Awards ceremony last weekend. It is always stimulating to see our culture doing well and being enthusiastically received. As you said so well, Mr. Smith, things are going well at the top, but not so well in the middle or at the bottom.
I met some people from the Centre culturel franco-manitobain, in particular Ms. Molin, who told me how important events such as Coup de coeur francophone and programs like “Pour un soir seulement” are and how they help create a critical mass. These are issues that must be considered.
Earlier we tried to determine whether it was possible to take specific action. I believe you are recommending that we conduct studies soon to find a solution and draw international comparisons. This is not a simple matter, even on that scale. Creators are fighting the same battle virtually everywhere.
I was at the Governor General's residence yesterday when the Glenn Gould prize was awarded to Robert Lepage. His only message was a request that the government once again support the international visibility of our creators.
I want to tell you that I find this concept of fair trade certification very exciting. Fair trade coffee is now part of our lives, somewhat like recycling paper. No one thought about it 20 years ago. Today the word "fair" is an additional factor in our purchasing decisions. A month ago, Deezer announced a kind of Canadian subscription. We are pleased to have achieved that visibility.
You are right to ask what measures can be taken to assist you in responding to this monopoly that has been established. This is a bit of a throwback to the 1950s. At that time, big companies had set rates that were viable for them over the long term based on volume and shareholder deals. However, it is totally inapplicable to independent businesses.
What can we do to help you in this regard?