Thank you, Mr. Chair. We'll try this one more time, a third kick at the can here.
We need to be clear here that when we state in our amendment the term “lawful purpose”, it does not mean piracy. I want to refer back to something Mr. Del Mastro said about Music Canada losing $800 million. He didn't say that Music Canada and the music industry lost $800 million due to piracy.
That's not what you said. But if that's what you meant, it's hard to believe that you would take $50 million off the table for artists and music stakeholders, if you're so concerned about the music industry. It's hard to believe, sir. This is one of the ironies or hypocrisies—whatever you want to call it—of the government's position as it pertains to artists in this bill.
We've also got a serious concern about users and the blanket criminalization of consumers. This is why over 50,000 people have signed the OpenMedia.ca petition to not lock down the Internet. We're not talking about pirates here. We're talking about regular Canadians and their regular use of the Internet.
The purpose of this amendment is to create a blanket protection under clause 47 for violation breaking or other evasions of a digital lock for any legal purpose.
It is sad, when one reflects, that we've come to such a point that we must propose amendments to clarify that Canadians who aren't breaking the law aren't breaking the law. Nonetheless, the risks of this government's absolute digital locks policy, a policy we know has been tried and failed miserably in the jurisdiction of our largest trading partner and closest ally, the United States, are so great that they warrant this extraordinary effort.
I'll spare everyone further details and examples of how the government's maximal approach is going to harm Canadian users of the Internet. I will simply ask, with the greatest of respect, that our Conservative colleagues take this third, final chance to fix a glaring flaw in this bill on behalf of the 35 million Canadians who look to us for national leadership on this and many other issues.
Thanks.