The committee may be under the mistaken impression that I've been disingenuous in bringing this motion forward. That's not the case. The purpose of this was actually as a response to some of the concerns that have been raised by the remailers. Ultimately it is an issue of timing. They are panicking now because it appears that Canada Post either has the right, or is on the verge of having the right, to implement enforcement proceedings and shut them down. Given that it has existed for well over 20 years, we're trying to preserve the status quo.
Now if there were some way of us, as a committee, being able to instruct either the courts or Canada Post or even the minister to hold off on any further legal action until there's further study by this committee, I'd be inclined to follow through on that. I'm advised, though, that there are some legal considerations. If there is actually a court order in place, it may be imprudent for the minister or for this government to actually hold off on enforcement actions. I mean, it's a concern of mine. If there was some way around that, I would be pleased to follow through with that.
I am concerned, because Mr. Bélanger has indicated he may not be inclined to support the remailers. We're talking about a significant industry in Canada that has co-existed with Canada Post for well over two decades. It was only because someone noticed that there was a loophole and a disjunct between the English and French versions that we now find ourselves in the pickle of having a Supreme Court order that says Canada Post has exclusive privilege.
So that's my concern. If someone can suggest a better way of protecting the interests of the remailers, at least in the interim while we resolve this, I'd be interested in hearing it.