Finance committee  It's not all of a sudden. We've seen costs double in the last eight years. This comes on top of some very significant increases that are impossible to absorb, because they're so massive. It would appear at a fundamental level that Canada Post's new mandate is profitability. Canada Post's old mandate, which was to allow Canadians across this vast country to communicate with one another, has taken a back seat.

Finance committee  I'm not in a position to answer that. I would say when Canada Post was challenged to fix its books. I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman, I cannot put a date on that.

Finance committee  It was a number of years ago.

Finance committee  I don't believe, sir, that we know the answer to that question as yet. The minister certainly has voiced her support in recent days. It's a question of how this may manifest in the future. The subsidy is also a strategy, and it's a strategy that has worked. I can tell you that in terms of our cultural media industry in Canada, with this great monolith to the south of us, magazines have the highest market share of all cultural media; it is 41%.

Finance committee  Minister Oda was saying that she supports the program; the question is how the government may interact with Canada Post in terms of its decision to withdraw its support for the program. How can we mitigate the $50 million that's about to disappear?

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of the committee, my name is Mr. Jim Gourlay. I'm chair of the Atlantic Magazines Association, which is an affiliate of Magazines Canada. With me is Mark Jamison, who is the chief executive officer of Magazines Canada. To the extent that this should be considered a brief to you, on behalf of the magazine industry nationally, Magazines Canada is a national non-profit association, representing Canadian consumer magazines all across Canada.