ATIP is without a doubt important to Canada and Canadians. It is part of the checks and balances of a strong and vibrant democratic system. As Churchill once said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except all those other forms that have been tried ....”
ATIP is not perfect, we know that, but it is the best we have so far. But--and this is our point today--ATIP should always remain a tool that serves the best interests of the public. It must not ever be allowed to be used as a weapon to serve the interests of a competitor, one that is not subject to ATIP itself.
We submit that the thousand-plus requests filed by Quebecor must be scrutinized under that very lens.