This is obviously a bill under development. I pretty much agree with Mr. Bourque. The major advantage of this bill is that it clarifies the situation upstream, meaning before problems actually arise. And that has to be associated with fundamental values, such as those advocated by the Barreau du Québec, including freedom of the press and the public's right to information. So, we're talking about a free press that can collect information without constraint or fear of consequences.
In terms of the definition, I have heard quite a few things but, unfortunately, I was not here this morning and did not take part in the other debates. For the time being, I have no concerns with the definition of « journalist », as it appears in the bill. For example, blogs are not journalism. They can be in certain situations, particularly when they're associated with a specific media outlet. It is fairly easy to make the distinction. Radio-Canada does not use the term « blogue », but tends to refer more to journals, if I'm not mistaken. At the newspaper le Soleil, some of the reporters…
All of that activity is subject to the standards of journalistic ethics, as set out by the Conseil de presse, when a professional journalist is involved. However, nowhere is there a definition, if I'm not mistaken—and I stand to be corrected—of professional journalist. There are a lot of freelances. The concern that anybody could write anything in Canada and claim to be a journalist is not founded, in my opinion. I don't think that jibes with reality.
The aim of this bill—and that is what we are defending here—is to protect journalistic sources associated with information. We are not talking about a primary school bulletin. I believe the FPJQ supports the idea of moving forward and establishing clear guidelines. That pretty well reflects our own position. That way, we will no longer be dealing with an entirely discretionary common law rule. The judge will know what to rely on to make his decision; and, journalists and others involved will know what to respond.
We have not done a clause-by-clause analysis of the bill as a whole. Therefore, we are not in a position to answer that, but we can certainly give you our impressions with respect to specific aspects of the bill.