Thank you, Mr. McTeague, for the question.
I think, as I alluded to in my opening remarks, the government's objectives on this issue have been clear: they want to stop those who enable mass piracy online.
I've heard those objectives echoed by all the members of this committee, so what we're trying to do here is help in arriving at legislation that will address the realities of how these sites operate and learn from international best practices.
As I suggested, the enabling provision, as drafted, needs some technical fixes. With respect to BitTorrent sites in particular, BitTorrent itself is a legitimate protocol. It wasn't designed to infringe. It has utility other than to operate as a vehicle for infringement. The concern is the way that those sites are operated to enable and induce infringement, and those are really the critical words that put them offside. Just to put it into some perspective for you, Canada has been home to five of the top ten BitTorrent sites in the world, whether they are operated here or hosted here. This affects not only the domestic market but the international market as well.
Two BitTorrent sites in Quebec that are operated or hosted there affect the European market by having 70% to 80% of their users in France, Switzerland, and Sweden, so again it's the ability to craft an enabling section that has statutory damages applied to those who enable piracy and has the prohibition against those who enable infringement by the way they operate or induce infringement. Again, finally, it should clearly apply to those who host illicit content.