Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Right now, the way the Broadcasting Act is structured is that basically undertakings have to make maximum use, in no case predominant use, of creative resources, etc., unless the nature of the undertaking renders that impracticable, and then they have to make.... I just don't want to mislead you here. It states, “shall make the greatest practicable use of those resources”.
That's the way the act is currently structured. The clause that begins with “unless” is important in the sense that you then may be holding a company to a standard that it is not able to meet just given the nature of the business. Therefore, there was always that release valve for the CRTC to say, “We understand the nature of the business. It's not possible for you to be held to the maximum, no less than predominant, use standard, and therefore you shall make the greatest practicable use of all resources.”
My understanding is that the way the NDP's proposed amendment is structured, Canadian undertakings would essentially be held to a standard that would no longer have that release valve, for lack of a better term. In some respects, I believe that what's being proposed by the NDP is setting a higher standard for Canadian undertakings and that foreign undertakings are not subject to that same high standard. The inclusion of that clause that begins with “unless” would, again, just ensure that Canadian undertakings benefit from the same treatment as foreign undertakings.