Evidence of meeting #21 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was competition.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:55 p.m.
Analyst, Telecommunications, Broadcasting and Information Highway Policies and Regulation, L'Union des consommateurs
That's absolutely not what I'm claiming.
5:55 p.m.
Independent
5:55 p.m.
Analyst, Telecommunications, Broadcasting and Information Highway Policies and Regulation, L'Union des consommateurs
The sentence states that people want the CRTC to continue exercising control over businesses that are considered as still dominant. They don't want to be left at the mercy...
5:55 p.m.
Independent
5:55 p.m.
Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Our organization represents other consumer groups--for example, the Consumers' Association of Canada, the National Anti-Poverty Organization, Regulatory Proceedings--and have done so for the last thirty years.
There's one point...I wonder if you're clear in your mind that...and I want to make sure, because I think the premise of your questions earlier was that.... I think you're under the impression that the telephone company can't lower rates now. Is that your impression?
5:55 p.m.
Independent
André Arthur Independent Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
I don't think that was the point of my question to you, sir.
My question to you is, whom do you represent?
5:55 p.m.
Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Well, I've just told you.
5:55 p.m.
Independent
5:55 p.m.
Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Not me personally, but certainly the organization has.
5:55 p.m.
Independent
André Arthur Independent Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
I'm sure this is what I meant.
How many members were consulted before you wrote this memoir that compares Maxime Bernier to Mao Tse-tung?
5:55 p.m.
Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
I didn't compare Maxime Bernier and Mao Tse-tung; I compared the language that was used to effective language that was used in the context of other, less attractive regimes.
5:55 p.m.
Independent
5:55 p.m.
Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Do you mean these comments today? I wrote this today, sir, because effectively I've been in CRTC proceedings up until yesterday, and this is the only time we've had to compile comments for your benefit.
5:55 p.m.
Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
I consulted myself, yes.
5:55 p.m.
Independent
5:55 p.m.
Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Essentially, one becomes an expert in telecom by effectively being involved in telecom proceedings over a period of time.
5:55 p.m.
Independent
André Arthur Independent Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
The point we had with the cable people a few minutes ago was that it was maybe not a question of philosophy, but more a question of timing--that in so many months or so many years, the difference of approach with the dominance of market would be obsolete.
Do you agree with that? My question is to all of you who want to answer.
5:55 p.m.
Chair, Telecom Committee, President, Mountain Cablevision, Canadian Cable Systems Alliance
I'll take a first stab at it. I don't think it's going to be measured in months, days, or years. It's going to be measured, first of all, in what percentage of market needs to be lost before the incumbents can use their market power.
5:55 p.m.
Independent
André Arthur Independent Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
How long will it take to get there? What is your estimate?
5:55 p.m.
Chair, Telecom Committee, President, Mountain Cablevision, Canadian Cable Systems Alliance
Well, if you keep changing the rules, we'll never get there. That's the problem. I'm a businessman, not a lawyer. I sit down and ask myself what my economic return will be on making an investment of this type; if you keep changing the rules, I don't know how to model it to figure out whether it's even worth my time or effort to go into it.
That's what a lot of the smaller cable operators are faced with. When they look at the cost of getting into this market, they don't know what the rules are as to when they're going to get played the game of whack-a-mole, as I call it. They stick their head out, an incumbent comes along and whacks them on the head, and they go down again. They need to understand what the rules are.
The commission came up with a set of rules. We started marching to them, and six months later all the rules are changing again. If you're going to change them every six months, I don't think we're ever going to get there.
6 p.m.
Liberal
6 p.m.
Liberal
Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON
In the comments made here by my colleague Monsieur Arthur, there's a suggestion that somehow Mr. Janigan and his organization may speak only for themselves and that no one else may do that.
For the benefit of the committee and yourself, Mr. Chairman, I wanted to give the comment that was left by the representative for Bell Canada in the second-last paragraph of his testimony here earlier today. I'm sure Mr. Arthur was here to hear that.
He quoted the following:
I will leave the last word to Canadians themselves. According to research conducted by Decima on behalf of Bell, TELUS and PIAC and submitted to the TPR panel, the vast majority of consumers--89%--believe the same rules should apply to telephone companies.
The point, Mr. Chair, is simply that if it comes to questions of this organization, clearly several members who have appeared here already use the information provided by PIAC.
