Thank you.
Mr. Scott, thank you so much for being with us today and for offering those opening remarks.
Michael Geist has said this with regard to Bill C-18. I'm just going to read his quote into the record. He said:
Bill C-18 doesn't only increase the power of the Internet companies. It also provides exceptional new powers to the CRTC. These include determining which entities qualify as DNIs,
—in other words, digital news intermediaries—
which agreements create an exemption, which Canadian news organizations qualify as eligible news businesses, and whether the arbitration decisions should be approved. On top of that, the CRTC will also create a code of conduct, implement the code, and wield penalty powers for failure to comply. Far from a hands-off approach, the CRTC will instantly become the most powerful market regulator of the news sector in Canada.
Mr. Scott, what's been outlined here is directly in the bill. This is fact.
I'm just wondering if, in your opinion, the CRTC really should be given this amount of control over news in Canada.