Thank you.
Evidence of meeting #10 for Canadian Heritage in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was content.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #10 for Canadian Heritage in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was content.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:15 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
Thank you.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
I'll throw out where I was hoping to go with this and I'll have to respond to the nonsense I'm hearing here, Mr. Chair.
To begin with, I think it's a fair statement to say that no government...which is why I totally reject the statement that the Minister of Canadian Heritage is “attacking” artists. The Minister of Canadian Heritage has fought for the most significant budgets of any federal government, for all forms of the arts in this country, in this nation's history.
So to go out and suggest that he is somehow attacking artists is reprehensible, and I'd encourage you to withdraw that statement at some point, Mr. Waddell, because it's reprehensible, that statement. Mr. Angus can say it; he's a partisan. But I think it's reprehensible.
Secondly, if you want to go back to the issue of the “i-tax”, I'm open to talking about it; they're close-minded about it. But I'd like to propose to you why it doesn't make sense and why--
12:20 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
It's not a tax.
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
--in a court ruling, it was actually determined not to be a simple extension of the current regime.
When we had audio cassette tapes, it was pretty clear. An audio cassette tape could be used for a purpose: to record audio. That's what it was for. When we made the bridge to CDs, well, it wasn't quite as clear anymore, because they could be used for audio, they could be used for software, and they could be used for photos. So therefore, even though they extended the levy, there was less of a direct connection to it than there was with an audio cassette tape.
When we move on to devices with digital memory, which is what is proposed by the opposition, all devices with a digital memory, this, iPods, PCs, everything--
12:20 p.m.
Voices
No.
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
Absolutely. Because that's what the statement says: that there should be a tax should be applied to those. Whether you call it a levy or a tax, it is coming from the pockets of consumers. So to the consumer, it is the same; it is exactly the same.
Now, if you want to apply it to a device...should I have to pay musicians if I want to store photos? Is that reasonable?
12:20 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
Is that a question, Mr. Del Mastro?
12:20 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
Okay. Just to be clear, Mr. Del Mastro, the proposal is for the levy to extend to digital audio recording devices, that is to say, iPods and MP3 players, not—
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
Are these devices capable of storing other forms of media?
12:20 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
They could, yes indeed, but that's not why consumers buy them. They buy them to copy music.
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
In fact, those memory devices are capable of storing all forms of media. In fact, they're capable of storing much more than that. They're capable of storing calendars. For a daytimer device, should I pay a levy to music for storage of my--
12:20 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
12:20 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
We're not proposing a levy on your calendar, Mr. Del Mastro.
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
This is the problem with this extension that they think is so simple.
The bottom line is, frankly, with our largest trading partner south of the border not proposing such a thing, how would you even police it? What in the world would stop...all we're going to do is cause a run on U.S. retail stores and online stores selling these things directly into Canada, because you're going to give a dramatic price advantage to U.S. stores south of the border. This is impossible.
First of all, the connection, in my view, becomes murkier and murkier as technology extends. I can appreciate where you're coming from on it. It's a big market and you'd like to get in on it. The problem is that the connection directly to music is not clear like it was with audio cassette tapes. Even you yourself would have to acknowledge that.
12:20 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
Mr. Del Mastro, I was just checking to make sure the sky wasn't falling.
12:20 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
12:20 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
The audio recording devices--
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
12:20 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
Thank you, sir.
12:20 p.m.
National Executive Director, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
Sorry, the audio...I'm just trying to remember what your question was.
On the audio recording devices, what we're talking about is a levy similar to the one that exists on cassettes.
