It would be very helpful for all committee members, because we are inundated with e-mails and phone calls from people who did utilize both of these programs across the country. It's great to have the dollar values, but people want to know that on the ground they're going to get access to the funding, to the resources they need to ensure that they're able to go out there and perform if they are actors or actresses. There were comments made in September 2008 by one of the spokespeople for Minister Emerson who said that individuals like Gwynne Dyer and Avi Lewis should not be entitled to taxpayers' money. These are people who have done a great amount as writers and made great contributions to Canada. People on the ground felt, and continue to feel, that some of the cuts that have been made have been made not for the purposes of efficiency, but actually have been made against people or organizations that spoke out against the government. I think that is an issue that needs to be addressed to ensure that the cuts are not based on ideology but are being made in the best interests of improving efficiency and effectiveness for the organizations.
On February 9th, 2009. See this statement in context.