Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of the hon. member's speech he mentioned free trade in cultural industries was to be the death knell of the industry. Is this not exactly the same argument the Liberal Party made in 1988 during the free trade debate? Did it not say the free trade was to be the death knell for all these industries in Canada?
I ask the member if he was on that side. Was he making those same arguments? Will he not admit that many industries did not die but have prospered as a result of free trade? Will he admit that competition and the flow of capital back and forth have actually been good for all kinds of industries, and that ultimately the best way to help Canadian cultural industries is for the government to ensure a level playing field by getting taxes down so these industries can compete against their American counterparts?