Thank you, Maureen.
The challenge in Canada is even greater now that every market in the world is faced with convergence. As a screenwriter it's now conceivable that I could be engaged by Rogers Wireless to write a digital series that would be available on their wireless platform and delivered to consumers through Rogers Internet or broadcast on Rogers Citytv.
The kind of content that I create is protected under the Broadcasting Act, which was created with the specific purpose of maintaining a public service essential to the maintenance and enhancement of national identity and cultural sovereignty.
Canada is uniquely challenged in maintaining its cultural sovereignty for a number of reasons: our closest neighbour and trading partner, the United States, is the largest exporter of film and television in the world; Canada shares a language and many cultural touch points with the U.S.; and U.S. broadcast signals spill over the border and are watched by millions of Canadians every night, resulting in a very fragmented market here. We also have a small population of just over 33 million, spread over a large territory, making indigenous TV production more costly to deliver with lower profit margins than in more densely populated territories.
By comparison, France and Germany have been able to relax their foreign ownership restrictions in broadcasting because they don't have these challenges. They can rely instead on their distinct cultures and languages, their large populations, cohesive markets, and dominant public broadcasters to protect their cultural identity. We wish we could do the same.
Cultural identity is what it comes down to for us. We're the people who create the content that fills the airwaves. Our industry is not like other industries. We're not making shoes or cars--important as these things are. There is no Canadian car. This is not a tragedy for our country. But if there were no Canadian stories on our airwaves, it would be.
In closing, we urge the government to conduct an impact study that would result in a clear plan of action before loosening any foreign ownership restrictions in the telecommunications sector that could irreparably harm the broadcasting industry. We know that there have been other reviews and studies of foreign ownership in the past. However, we are now in the midst of a digital revolution where carriers and content providers are becoming one and the same. The government is right to consider consumers' interests, but consumers have more than money at stake here.
We thank you for your time and look forward to answering any questions.
Thank you.