Quite curiously, you conclude with the one case I wanted to talk to you about, Claude Robinson. I'd like to summarize that case for the people around the table because not everyone knows the story of Claude Robinson. Mr. Del Mastro, do you know the story of Claude Robinson?
No. We do have two solitudes.
Claude Robinson is an artist who was extremely prolific 14 years ago and who, to assert his copyright, had to sue Cinar, an international animated film company. You may have heard about it because it was a scandal here in Ottawa. The company was accused of fraud and of using nominees.
Claude Robinson sued Cinar. In fact, he has been suing them for 14 years. He is a creator, an artist who has produced nothing in 14 years because he has had to become an investigator and lawyer to defend his case. He won at trial, but the rich and powerful international companies, including Cinar, appealed. He still has to defend himself in court. He has no more money. Imagine.
In Quebec, there has been a solidarity movement as I believe there only is in Quebec. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars has been collected for him. The amount is even $262,000 because I took up a collection in the Bloc québécois. This copyright problem is obvious in Quebec and very well known. Everyone talks about Claude Robinson. We must not transform our artists and creators into lawyers.
You tell me that fair dealing would transform artists into lawyers. Is that correct?