Madam Speaker, I have to disagree totally with the member's premise that this will fail. We believe this will sustain any test of the world tribunals for exchange in respect of our general agreement on services. The notion that we as a country should not proceed because of the threat that our neighbours to the south may not like it is a rather sheepish way to deal with our own sovereignty.
Canada has negotiated international trade agreements that have excluded cultural matters entirely. It is in keeping with this strategy that as a country which is somewhat smaller in terms of population than our neighbours to the south, our cultural sovereignty is not to be put at risk. It is not to be put on the table. It has been excluded from these agreements. This is in keeping with that strategy.
The government is quite comfortable that with this legislation we will continue to have a thriving periodical industry which we would not have if we did not act.