The Broadcasting Act as well as other support measures for the industry were put in place particularly to promote the development and broadcasting of our culture in light of the omnipotence of our American neighbour. The goals of this legislation are more relevant than ever in an international context where the promotion of cultural diversity represents a battle we have yet to win. This battle only makes sense if the cultural diversity in question is first of all asserted and promoted on a national basis.
Furthermore, one of the goals of Canadian broadcasting policy is to call freely on independent Canadian producers in order to ensure the greatest diversity in creation locales. Other measures were implemented to allow for a balance between the public, private and specialty channels. Canadian content quotas were established to ensure our programs had a dominant place on our screens. Financial support measures for our productions were established to respond to the demand. Rules regarding the ownership and control of Canadian broadcast distribution undertakings exist for the overall protection of the system.
The Canadian broadcasting system is a model around the world. The success of Quebec television would never have become a reality without a range of support measures. For 25 years our system has promoted the protection of French-language broadcasting, the great popularity of our programming and a quality that is recognized on an international scale.
The promotion of our culture is a societal choice that Canadians have maintained over the years. It would be irresponsible to challenge these policies without thinking about the very grounds for their existence. This debate concerns the entire population, and not just a few businesses that are dissatisfied with certain rules of the game.