I think, really, the answer to your question whether drama is expensive to produce is yes, it is. It's expensive all over the world. It's the most expensive form of programming. Do Canadian broadcasters have to put up a licence fee? Yes, they do. Usually it's about 35%, because they need to put in a certain amount in order to access the Canadian Television Fund. Is it more than what the rest of the world pays for drama? No. As Becky was just saying, in the U.S. they pay 100% of that.
What I think they're saying to you is that drama's really expensive. They're not sure they're seeing a return, and they would like more flexibility to make things like award shows and reality shows. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, sometimes you make a lot of money back, and sometimes you just make some money back. Is it essential to the requirement of the Broadcasting Act that Canadians have Canadian drama? Yes.
I think the key thing to remember is that these broadcasters receive all sorts of subsidies and benefits. As Mr. Angus just mentioned, there's section 19.1 of the Income Tax Act. We taxpayers help them even pay for the Canadian content with the Canadian Television Fund. So do they have some obligations? Yes, they do, and we help them get there. Can Canadians make programs that sell? Yes, we can. We've seen that with Corner Gas. We've seen that with many of our documentaries.