I hope that we vote on the two motions today, because I gave notice several weeks ago. Let's start with the motion on counterfeiting. I understand that the Justice Minister's office is in the process of drafting legislation. We all know how important this issue is. Industry representatives have met with all parties. A total of 90 films have been illegally copied, losses are estimated to be in the millions and Canada is earning a reputation for itself as an entry point for people intent on committing fraud.
Therefore, I think we should begin by restating our concerns. Then, we could invite departmental officials and industry representatives to speak to us about this problem, so that we can prepare ourselves accordingly. Once the bill is before the committee, we'll have some idea of the problem of film counterfeiting. That's the purpose of the motion. We can then move on and vote on the French fact.
The problem, as I understand it, is that the RCMP maintains that it cannot intervene, that local authorities are is mainly responsible for taking action on this front. What we really need is an amendment to the Criminal Code to authorize the RCMP to intervene. The reality is that when a film owner is in a theatre and observes that a film is being copied—the technology exists for films to be copied— local law enforcement officials are called in and maintain that this is the RCMP's responsibility, whereas the RCMP throws the ball right back in their court. In the meantime, films are brazenly being counterfeited.
We need to get a better handle on this phenomenon. I know that government is currently working on draft legislation to address the problem.