I do not know how ambitiously we would jump into that study. But if we asked you to identify 25 issues of your choice, we would choose the priority issue, or you could do it yourselves. But our mandate is to examine the matter from the creative angle in all cases, that is for sure. Creation is not just about someone making pottery on a wheel.
My next question goes to Mr. Schaan.
I was part of the Copyright Act review in 2012, sitting on an ad hoc committee created for the purpose.
I really appreciate the way in which Minister Bains is running his department. I feel the dynamism; I feel that the department wants to work to find solutions to problems at the source. The same goes for technology. We can see it in certain areas, such as the support for technical colleges and electrifying transportation, for example.
So I appreciate your being here. I feel that, for years, the industry department has been missing in action from all the technological challenges that must be faced by the sectors of industry that form part of our Canadian heritage.
Perhaps Canadian Heritage could provide us with this information: from that list, could you help us to determine those issues? Could you point out to us solutions that have been recognized in other countries? After seven years in politics, if I have learned one thing, it is that, when we have to deal with a problem—be it public transit, the environment, or flesh-eating bacteria—we have to try and find out what other countries do when they face similar problems.
We have no monopoly on knowledge; plenty of people are ready to give us solutions.
I want to specifically ask people from the Department of Industry whether, as we look at copyright, we can look at patent protection as well. Is there a link between the two? I feel that, with modern technology, there is indeed a link in terms of intellectual property.
For example, could pharmaceutical companies decide to do less research and development on new products, because copyright and intellectual property rights might be less protected? Is that a parallel we can draw?