Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague's thoughts on how it is that the Conservative Party appears to want to surrender our sovereignty on this particular issue. The Conservatives are, in essence, saying that because of negotiations that are taking place, we should just capitulate and have nothing to do with protecting our arts, our performing artists and our culture.
I am wondering if the member would provide his thoughts on how important our arts programs are for provinces such as Quebec, and across Canada, and how important it is to support them in the different ways we do.