Mr. Speaker, I can only ask the opposition members to quiet down a bit. Once their time comes to speak, we will all listen to them with great interest.
There is no country in the world that has the unique challenges Canada has. This bill speaks to that. That is why most of the parties in the House, with the exception of one, are supporting it.
For many years Canada has maintained a policy designed to provide Canadians with distinctive vehicles for cultural expression. These measures have balanced the need to maintain a Canadian presence on our own screens, in books, music and magazines while welcoming foreign cultural products.
Today and possibly always we will be faced with a fundamental challenge in our cultural relations with the United States. Culture is the voice that defines us as a nation. It is our heritage. It is who we are. The U.S. sees culture as an entertainment commodity with a bottom line. It is constantly trying to increase its market share across the globe.
Unlike the Reform Party, the Liberal Party does not believe that our culture is for sale. I will repeat that. Unlike the Reform Party, we do not believe in selling out our culture and we do not believe in rolling over. Because of this essential difference, we never play on the same field. We and other smaller countries must insist on making our own policies that maintain our cultural existence.
That said and despite our differences, the U.S. and Canada are neighbours, friends and each other's best trading partner. Given the vast amount of trade in goods and services which move freely across our borders, only a small percentage are subject to occasional disputes. When trade irritants do arise, the two sides have traditionally sought to resolve their differences through bilateral dialogue or if necessary, by resorting to the dispute settlement provisions in trade agreements. It is not rolling over.
Canada will defend its rights as a sovereign country to develop measures designed to support our domestic cultural expression. We have negotiated rights in international trade agreements and we will defend these rights.
Bill C-55 ensures that Canadian magazine publishers have fair access to Canadian advertising services revenues. Without these revenues, they would be unable to provide readers with the broad range of Canadian publications currently available.
Bill C-55 does not violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Bill C-55 does not violate the NAFTA or our other international trade obligations. It has never been challenged before the WTO or any other dispute settlement body.
Bill C-55 does not impose additional restrictions on Canadian advertisers. They will continue to enjoy the same opportunities they have always had, including access to international markets via foreign magazines.
The bill does not place restrictions on the content of magazines or of individual advertisements, or limit Canadians' access to foreign magazines.
Bill C-55 does not limit competition in the Canadian magazine industry. In fact, Bill C-55 ensures the economic viability of the Canadian magazine industry and the preservation of over 7,000 jobs for Canadian writers, artists, photographers, editors and art directors.
U.S. magazines cross our border every day and Canadian magazines compete successfully for readers, despite our close proximity and common language. This is because Canadian publishers produce original content for the Canadian market, content which is of interest to Canadians. This bill is about the advertising services market and the massive cost advantages foreign publishers would enjoy.
The legislation ensures that Canadians continue to have the freedom to express and enjoy a diversity of Canadian ideas.
The main rationale why this House with the exception of the Reform Party is in support of this legislation is that the majority of parties in this House believe that Canadian culture is worth fighting for and that Canadian culture is worth preserving.
We have to be able to tell the story. We have to be able to tell the Canadian story from a Canadian perspective from coast to coast to coast. It will do us precious little good if we have to hear what this country is about from Hollywood and the United States. That is why we are fighting to preserve Canadian culture. As long as this party is in government, we will continue to do so.