Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good morning, madam, gentlemen, and welcome to the committee.
The Ipsos/Oxford Economics study was not conducted by nasty separatists or sovereigntists, contrary to what the Conservatives might think. It nevertheless reveals some quite astronomical figures. To date, we've been talking about at least $126 million a year in copyright losses for various artists and creators, but, to that, you're adding at least $800 million. You even mentioned $1.8 billion. These are major economic losses.
The survey reveals a number of things. There is a note on the paper you submitted to us. It states that the survey results paint a conservative picture of the situation. And yet the Conservatives have always told us that this would have no impact on creators. And yet this is a modest picture, and we're talking about nearly $2 billion in losses. That's a considerable amount, which includes losses assessed at other levels and the $1.8 billion you referred to.
Certain minor points are interesting. For example, 48% of consumers of pirated films, that is to say nearly half, said that they would have paid to see a film if it hadn't been unofficially available. Obviously, we're talking about prevention, warnings and simulations to protect the economy and the rights to certain productions.
What do we do with that? When the bill was presented to the committee by the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Canadian Heritage, we sensed that it was more an act for the industry than for copyright protection purposes. It seems to me the Internet and computer industry is suitably equipped.
What do you suggest in order to put a stop to this as soon as possible? Are there any examples from other countries that should be followed? Have other countries made perhaps a more radical start on countering these practices?