Thank you, Chair, and thank you, witnesses, for being here. It's good to be back and have you here, particularly you, Mr. Dicerni, and Ms. Gillis.
I go by the maxim that not all wisdom is necessarily new wisdom. During the period of time that this committee often operated on a basis of consensus, one area in which there was no consensus was on the question of telecommunications. A blue ribbon panel back in 2003-04 recommended that we not proceed quickly or deliberately with deregulating the telecom industry to allow new entrants at the time to bulk up, as it were, and present real, veritable competition. You recall the time, Mr. Dicerni, your minister shortcut that decision and decided to, as it were, end the period of time in which new entrants were allowed to operate on the infrastructure of the major incumbents, who in many instances had over a century advantage, including public funding.
I'm wondering, based on that, given that there is now what appears to be a relative and clear dearth of competition within the Canadian telecommunications scene, if that's what gave rise to the decision by your department, the minister's department, to suddenly change, without notice, not only the regulations pertaining to foreign investment but as well the other players who were competing for the spectrum option about a year ago. I'm referring, of course, to other companies who apparently did live by the principles that were enunciated—DAVE, Public Mobile, and others. I'm wondering if the decision now to include foreign investment—notwithstanding the fact that we've excluded the option of the potential for Canadian competition to give consumers what they're looking for—is really, at the base root, that your minister made a mistake in 2007, compounded with confusing and perhaps misleading some of the players who dutifully and in due diligence bought spectrum under conditions that they be Canadian-owned companies and are now prepared to open up foreign investment in a very strategic and very important industry on the basis of helping consumers.
I realize it's an important question, and a long question, but the context is necessary to provide where we are today. Is in fact what the minister has done with respect to Globalive a problem in search of a solution, or vice versa?