Thank you very much.
I'm glad you clarified a lot of stuff we've been hearing, especially with regard to the dedicated funding that we hear goes to CBC only to find out that it isn't going to the CBC but is going to independent producers, but also that you have the slots that have been committed and dedicated to this. That's a very important clarification to make.
I suppose we could go on and ask the same questions about whether the minister will enforce the CRTC regulation, etc. I don't want to go there, because everyone's been asking the same questions.
What we're talking about is staving off on a temporary basis; holding the funds until another threat comes up. When is that threat going to come up? Is it next year? We're really buying time more than anything else. I would like you to suggest to us a way of....
First and foremost, I don't even think we should be debating whether the minister should intervene. It's my understanding that this is a legal obligation on the part of these two companies, who agreed, in exchange for being able to put money into infrastructure and increasing their subscriber rates. If you make a contract, you make an agreement; you don't break it.
But the bottom line here is that somewhere along the way this is going to keep happening. How do we find a permanent solution to this? What do you think are the best ways we can ensure that there is a vibrant fund here for both children's programming, as we heard from the children's broadcasters earlier on, and of course for adult Canadian broadcasting?
I must say--and I'm going to wear my heart on my sleeve for a minute--that I think the CBC is an extraordinarily important institution for Canadians. Among countries that have become very famous for extraordinary television programming and extraordinary filmmaking, we have to look at the U.K. and at the vibrancy of a strong BBC; at South Africa, which is beginning to grow in strength in television in Africa and in filmmaking, and at a strong South African Broadcasting Corporation; and at Australia as well, and at how strongly they value their public broadcasting arm.
I think this is key. We of all countries have a huge challenge because we are so close to a very big producer of film and television next door. We need to have extraordinary solutions put in place to ensure that we are able to hold our own and have the kind of excellence we see going on in Britain and in South Africa and in Australia.
I would like to ask you what you see as a long-term and permanent solution, so that we don't have to keep worrying every two years and fight the little fights. I call these little fights, because they really aren't solving any problem; they're just keeping our heads above water. What do we do to be strong and to be vibrant? What are your solutions for that?