Industry committee  Our study of the telecommunications market shows that it is a very dynamic market. We are no longer dealing just with the telecommunications market. As Mr. French said, there is a steady growth of markets with matching services. Thus, nothing guarantees that telephone companies can control the market by such means.

Industry committee  Not anywhere else. We have done—

Industry committee  I would be careful with such comparisons. We made a few comparisons. It is difficult to make them, especially because we are dealing with a set of services. But if we compare public statistics, you are surely right about the comparison with the United States, but not with regard to other countries where that is not the case.

Industry committee  Of course, but if we want to study the market dynamics, we cannot necessarily compare ourselves to the United States, because service providers in Canada are different, they are not the same.

Industry committee  The 25% is not guaranteed. There are industries—

Industry committee  As far as we are concerned, even at 25%, some industries said that it was not enough, nor even 30% or 40%. This is why the market share is not always a solution—

Industry committee  In our opinion, we should proceed as quickly as possible. This is why we proposed a test based on the elements of competition, namely the costs for the company, the rivalry on the market, as these are also reasonable factors for determining the level of competition in a market.

Industry committee  The $15 million is a maximum amount. It's a cap. It cannot be more than $15 million. It would be up to the tribunal to determine what amount it could be. It could be $3 for that matter. It's anywhere from zero to $15 million. Bill C-41 has a number of criteria that the tribunal is to assess in determining what the appropriate amount should be.

Industry committee  It would act as a deterrent. That's correct.

Industry committee  Well, they would probably have other things on their minds. If they were contemplating eliminating the competition, they might find people moving for re-regulation. So I suspect that would also act as a disincentive.

Industry committee  Well, I'd hate to say that I have enough, because I suspect that they'll come back again and again asking for more, so I don't want to limit my options at this stage. What I can tell you is that since 1986, the only consequence of breaching the abuse-of-dominance provisions has been the issuance of a cease-and-desist order.

Industry committee  Do I think that deregulation is happening too quickly? Well, we don't yet have deregulation. This is a proposed test that has.... With respect to local telephony, if you're talking about that, we already have a number of telecommunications markets deregulated. I think Canadians have seen huge benefits from deregulation in these markets.

Industry committee  No, my agency will be the same as it is now. I don't feel like a declawed cat.

Industry committee  No, I did not say that. I said that there had been cases. We do not have many of them, because the behaviour described under section 79 is favourable to competition, and provides the benefits of competition. This is why there are not many cases. We do not often prosecute, because we see the advantages on the marketplace.

Industry committee  And I would say that I am like a terrier.