Thank you.
You are referring to the now defunct Bill C-19 tabled by the former government. That bill gave the CRTC the power to impose administrative monetary penalties on stakeholders in all the different industry sectors. You're absolutely right. That is why I am confident that Bill C-41, which is specific to the telecommunications industry, will be approved by the House at the appropriate time.
With respect to the Competition Bureau and the Competition Tribunal, Ms. Scott said a number of times, when she appeared before you, that she has the necessary resources to take action and would like to be authorized to impose administrative monetary penalties of up to $15 million. She said she would like this bill to be passed by the House and expressed her confidence that this would discourage abusive behaviour. At the same time, she said that if such behaviour were to appear, the Competition Bureau would have the tools it needs to issue injunctions with a view to ensuring that the Act is adhered to and that all industry players, particularly large players, comply with it to the same extent as new entrants.
The test that we are applying for the purposes of deregulation was used by the CRTC itself. It is different from the market share test. If we want consumers to benefit from deregulation and competitive pricing as soon as possible, we can use that test. It is based on facts, is easy for the CRTC to administer, and allows the rule to be applied where there is competition. That is our belief. We want this to happen as quickly as possible.