Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the hon. member for his question.
It bears repetition that the Prime Minister has restated in the House, as he did among ministers, that he did not wish to be involved in the file or have any knowledge directed to him about it. That being the basis upon which the entire transaction has occurred, I have never had a discussion with the Prime Minister about the file.
I want the hon. member to understand that these are the kinds of indications we are receiving from disinterested people who are concerned about the issue. The Consumers' Association of Canada: "I am writing to you on behalf of the Consumers' Association to urge the government to act upon the recommendations of the policy review panel"; ACTRA: "We are pleased with the recognition of the need for competition among services. We hope the government will move quickly"; the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting; the Canadian Conference of the Arts; and all the others.
The simple point is that the Prime Minister has acted with entire integrity, discretion and care in the matter to avoid any appearance of potential conflict. For the government to have failed to take its responsibility-