In your preamble you spoke about protecting Canadian culture, something that is quite noble and beyond reproach. The problem is that it no longer works.
How are you going to prevent YouTube and its ilk from entering Canada? I don't see how you can prevent these new and very powerful universal communication tools from entering Canada.
My colleagues at Shaw did not want to venture too far in their analysis of the francophone market. As someone who has spent a lot of time in English Canada and who has a great deal of affection for the country, let me say this. Jim Shaw referred to CSI. Last week, someone told me that at least half, and maybe more of the production crew who work on 24, one of the most popular programs in the United States, was Canadian.
That also reminds me that in 1992, the CRTC decided that the song Everything I Do, by Brian Adams, was not Canadian. However, the composer was Canadian, the lyricist was Canadian and the singer was Canadian as well. Everything about it was Canadian, but according to some technocratic grid that was devised by who knows who, it was decided that one of the best-selling records in the history of music was not Canadian.
I find that very hard to deal with. It speaks of an attitude whereby we must protect ourselves because we are not good enough. I think that English-speaking Canadians are just as good as the Americans. Moreover, when given an opportunity, they produce exceptionally high-quality programming. Programs such as 24 and CSI are prime examples.
Look at how many Canadians are in Hollywood and New York. I wonder if it isn't the system itself that forces Canadians to go elsewhere in order to produce their programs.