Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
On January 1, the CRTC forced the country music television network off Canadian cable systems. As a result CMT has shut Canadian country artists out of a global audience estimated at 32 million world-wide.
Yesterday the United States government announced it was considering further retaliatory measures against the Canadian broadcast industry, placing our trading relationship with that country in jeopardy. The minister is moving down the dangerous path of cultural protectionism.
Does the Minister of Canadian Heritage not realize he is harming Canadian culture and Canadian artists by sanctioning the CRTC decision?