Yes, please.
I will start by reading the motion, which is as follows:
That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) the Committee on Canadian Heritage invite the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Minister of International Trade, or their representatives, the Coalition for Cultural Diversity and any other relevant witness(es) to appear before the Committee and inform it of the progress of the negotiations on a free trade agreement with the European Union, particularly to ensure that any such agreement will respect the treaty on cultural diversity promoted and signed by Canada, and that the Committee report to the House accordingly.
That said, Canada was the first country to promote and sign the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, in October 2005. The treaty protects arts and cultural industries during the negotiation of free-trade agreements with countries that consider culture to be an especially important commodity requiring special protection. Culture is a separate commodity, and signatory countries are choosing to protect their culture to help it flourish at home, of course, but also abroad. That is what Quebec has done in the case of Cirque du Soleil, for instance, and shows that are put on abroad, namely Notre-Dame de Paris, or films such as Incendies, which the minister recently invited us to see.
This is basically what the member for Saint-Maurice—Champlain, Mr. Laforest, said today. He said, more or less, that the Bloc Québécois had been calling for a free-trade agreement between Canada and the European Union for 10 years, but not at any cost, and that the head of economic affairs for the European delegation had said that everything was potentially up for negotiation. He also said that the European Union did not support the cultural exemption clause.
Can the Minister of International Trade give us clear assurance that he is going to fight for that clause? That is what we want to know. In fact, we want him to insist on incorporating the rules that govern access to government contracts into the agreement with European Union partners.We want the rules that apply to our partners to also apply to the case before us. It is essential that the minister understand how important it is to protect cultural diversity, which is at the heart of our identity, for both Quebeckers and Canadians. Because of its sheer size, the European Union dominates negotiations. Given that Canada has more to lose here, we are concerned that should these talks break down, Ottawa will end up making a few too many concessions to the Europeans. We know perfectly well that this treaty will influence future treaties with the Americans, who will demand the exact same thing. So this is a treaty that we want to make sure includes some guarantees. That is why we want the minister or his representatives to tell us what their intentions are regarding the matter.