Thank you, Minister, for appearing before us.
Today the opposition is suggesting that you interfere and meddle in the affairs of the CRTC. That's very clear from comments of Ms. Robillard, as well as from Mr. Angus. Yet I would suspect that if circumstances were different and you had actually interfered in the affairs of the CRTC, today they'd be criticizing you for interfering in the affairs of an arm's-length body that is so constructed by its constating laws.
Madam Minister, I was surprised and indeed shocked at the suggestion from certain opposition members that in fact you should be immediately pulling the broadcast licences of Shaw and Vidéotron. The reason it's shocking to me is due to the profound legal and financial implications that kind of a decision would have on the taxpayers of this country.
I want to read to you a quote from Mr. Douglas Barrett, the president of the Canadian Television Fund, when he appeared before us at the last meeting:
We understand there's an ambiguity within the CRTC regulatory environment that makes the annual payment provisions of the BDU regulations enforceable while the monthly payment requirements of the CRTC circular are apparently somewhat less enforceable.
I wonder if you could comment on the impact that an immediate pulling of those broadcast licences would have, the risks your ministry would take in doing that, and what steps you're taking to monitor that situation and what kind of resolution you're hoping for in the long run.