First, I think you are referring to user-generated content, which means that, under Bill C-32, consumers would be able to use artistic works without permission from and without compensation to the author. I must tell you now that, in France, SACEM, which defends the rights of songwriters and music publishers, has negotiated royalties with YouTube. It's sort of the same system you were talking about earlier.
When radio started, authors complained that their works were being used without compensation, and then radio stations ended up paying royalties. Similarly, YouTube is agreeing to pay royalties to collectives that ask them to pay, and that's great. Of course, consumers will have access, but eventually someone will have to pay. When consumers listen to the radio, they don't pay, but the radio station does. So the system is the same. We cannot give works to consumers by telling them: “You can use them without anyone paying royalties”. The system must absolutely rely on principles, such as making things available to the public—that's how it is with radio and it may also be like that with YouTube—so that someone pays the creators.
I personally think that this might be more obvious in French than in English. In English, you talk about copyright, which means the “right to copy” whereas, in French, we talk about droit des auteurs, meaning “the right of authors”. People are very jealous of Quebec's copyright system. We have a star system that works really well. We love our artists and we encourage them. It is not just a star system, but it is also an ecosystem that works very well for consumers, creators and distributors.
You mentioned the education system. In his brief, I think Mr. McOrmond compared royalties and copyright in education to government subsidies.
In Quebec, the royalties paid to authors by the education system work very well. No one has complained so far. Not only does the Minister of Education not complain, but she is criticizing Bill C-32 for trying to exempt the education sector from paying copyright. Everyone in Quebec thinks that's the wrong signal to send to young people. Young people have to be aware when they use creative works. There is no access problem in Quebec and, I would suspect, in the rest of Canada, but there is a problem with respecting artists and their work. It is about compensating them. If we want to wake up and still have artists and a vibrant, interesting and rich culture, the least we can do is pay the people who are responsible for that creativity, meaning the artists.