Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for asking a very relevant and important question.
We are free traders. We think there should not be any economic barriers between our partners, that we should have completely free exchanges in every aspect of our economic life. When it comes to cultural identity, when it comes to the soul of a country, whatever country it is, we have a duty to protect it.
That is why one of the main victories won by Canada during the negotiations with the Americans on the free trade agreement was the cultural exception. It was a great victory. It was the first time that Americans had to accept from any country in the world, from any of their partners, that they should respect the cultural identity and the cultural sector of a country. It was taken out of the scope of the free trade agreement.
We should not forget also that this question has been very much at the heart of the political landscape and preoccupations of Canada. For example if you look at the Investment Canada Act you will see two provisions where it is really strongly affirmed that the cultural sector is a special case. For example section 20 of the Investment Canada Act states that one of the criteria to approve transactions is the "compatibility of the investment with national, industrial, economic and cultural policies".
If you look more precisely at section 15, which is a very strong provision, it states very clearly that cultural activities are very special and that we should assess quite differently any transaction that would bear on this sector when it comes to be reviewed by Investment Canada. Subsection (a) of section 15 reads: "It falls within the prescribed specific type of business activity that in the opinion of the governor in council is related to Canada's cultural heritage or national identity".
To resume my answer, there is a wide consensus from every part of Canada, from every walk of life, that we should protect our identity from a very strong and invading neighbour. The Americans have a universal civilization and culture. It is quite dynamic. We admire them. But in a way we have a duty to protect what we are. If we do not protect what we are we will never be in a position to do anything right. There would never be any dialogue if we have nothing to say. We have a contribution to bring to the universal realities, to the universal values, and it stems from what we are so we have to protect what we are.