Thank you very much for the question.
Let me be clear: the government, through the Department of Canadian Heritage, does not have the power related to any licences as far as suspension of licences and so on is concerned. Those powers are outlined in the Broadcasting Act.
Let me be also clear that this government expects every entity, including the government itself, to abide by and respect the laws of the country. We have a Broadcasting Act. That Broadcasting Act has been established to outline the specifics of the relationship between the CRTC and its powers and the government and its powers.
One of the things I pointed out earlier is that this structure that has been set up is a model that is envied by many countries around the world. We have, in one extreme, a situation where we have a good working relationship with the industry. We work on their behalf under the powers given to government. The CRTC has been given the powers to regulate and supervise the system.
Just taking logic to its conclusion, the impact of pulling anyone's licence, of course, is on Canadians. If you look at the licences of broadcasters, it's the service they provide, the information they provide, the entertainment they provide. It's the Canadian perspective, the Canadian information, and the Canadian creative talent that they provide through their Canadian content requirements.
The broadcast distribution undertakings licensed in Canada have millions of subscribers, to which they provide a number of services, both Canadian and foreign. Without those licences, those subscribers would be the immediate sufferers of non-service. Consequently, as to the powers that are there as far as awarding licences or amending licences and so on is concerned, the Broadcasting Act is a very judicious and reasonable approach, and it calls upon public study of the public impact of any action of the CRTC.