Thank you, Chair.
I am going to speak in English, because that will allow me to be more precise. I am sorry.
One point I will make is I think this is a fantastically interesting study that this committee has agreed to engage in, in terms of studying how artists make a living in Canada. It's a very complex issue. It touches on tax law, it touches on the Canada Council, the Department of Canadian Heritage, provincial and municipal partners, but it is absolutely timely and a really important discussion.
One of the things we do know about the CBC and the role it has historically played in enabling musicians in all genres to earn a living in Canada is that the most recent negotiation between the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the American Federation of Musicians, informally known as the Musicians' Union, resulted in a contract where, over the course of the three years of the contract, the annual investment by CBC is going from $10.4 million down to $5 million in payments to professional Canadian musicians.
I think that is a significant signalling of a change of role by the CBC in helping make it possible for musicians to earn a living in Canada. I think that's a challenge, and I think it should be a factor you take a look at as you embark on that study.
Thank you.