Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to rise today in the debate on Bill C-55, an act respecting advertising services supplied by foreign periodical publishers.
Before I do that, as I think this is my last speech in the House before we break for the summer, I would like to wish all the members a good summer. I would like to remind government members that today the united alternative results will come out and they will have a lot to think about over the summer.
I am glad to have one more opportunity to debate this bill before the House breaks for the summer. This is a very important piece of legislation. As the official opposition trade critic, I am particularly interested in this bill because it explores the contradiction between our role as an open free trading society and the defence of our culture.
Canada is blessed with a diversity of cultures. Culture is an extension of a civilization. It is an evolution and its maturity depends upon how the citizenry chooses to nourish it.
Canada's identity and culture is the sole domain of its own citizens. It is not the role of the bureaucrats to legislate what Canadians will read, think or write, yet this is precisely what we have with Bill C-55.
The official opposition values the cosmopolitan Canadian culture we have today contrary to what other parties may think. We value the right of every Canadian to pursue the logic extension of their culture and religion. Yet we have here in Bill C-55 an attempt by the minister, by her bureaucrats and by self-interest groups to push their own vision of Canadian identity on the majority knowing full well that this is not what Canadians want. The Liberals continue to pursue an agenda of protection in the name of Canadian identity at the expense of other industries.
Last year in October the Minister of Canadian Heritage introduced Bill C-55. Last year the World Trade Organization handed down two rulings which found the provisions under the previous magazine advertising legislation ran contrary to GATT and WTO.
The government chose to introduce Bill C-55 which has never enjoyed wide public support. This bill is not about protecting Canadian identity; it is about protecting the Canadian publishing industry. This bill is about money, plain and simple.
In this debate I have heard the minister and colleagues across the House speak about wanting their children to read Canadian stories. They want their children to read about Canadian achievements. There is nothing wrong with that. That is a good idea. I think every Canadian would like to read about the achievements of their fellow Canadians, about culture, the works of Canadian authors. On that part I agree 100%, but this legislation is not doing that.
This legislation is wrong. This is ill thought out legislation. Why do I say that? Plain and simple, this legislation attempts to protect a small industry, the publishing industry. The publishing industry can survive on its own. Canadians will read what is written by other Canadians.
This bill is not about that. I disagree with the government when it says this bill is about Canadians and about Canadian achievement. It is not. This bill is the protection of one industry, forgetting that Canada has huge industries, forgetting that other industries are involved. We have signed trade obligations that we have to live up to as well. How will we do that? It is very simple. When they write and read what is published, Canadians will decide.
The fundamental point is that what is going to be read by whom is not for the government to legislate down our throats. It is for Canadians to decide what they want to read, what they want to buy, what they want to do. Those who are in the Canadian cultural industry have risen to the occasion without government support. They do not need government support. There are excellent cultural artists in this country who write good books, who write good stories. They do not need a government prop-up. They can do it and Canadians will love to read their writings. We can start by doing it in our schools.
This business of attempting to force on the Canadian public what the minister of heritage thinks should be cultural policy is wrong. A fundamental point on this bill is that the government should stay out of it and let Canadians decide. The artists who are capable do not need to be propped up by the government. That is the fundamental problem we have in supporting this bill. That is why we are not in agreement with this bill.
It is wrong for others to say that we are against what can be called our Canadian culture. We are not. We take extreme pride in seeing the achievements of our artists and people who work in the cultural industry but we also have obligations to other industries and this is impacting other industries.
The U.S. is right across the border. It has a huge cultural industry. We may feel threatened, but I do not think we will feel threatened with education and with the Government of Canada publicizing the great achievements of Canadians and such things. We can do more service for Canadian culture, for Canadian artists than just shoving a bill down our throats.
We have opposition from the advertising industry which is the one that is going to pay the price for this. We have opposition from other industries, the steel industry. All over the country we have this problem. Why? For just one little bill that is not going to have a major impact, I am sorry to say. Do we really think Canadians will go out there just because of this bill and read about these things? They will not. Canadians will read about Canada and Canadian achievements when the books and the things they desire are out there and when they have the desire. Canadian identity is on the rise in this country. We are all proud to be a Canadian.
The bill is absolutely wrong and that is why we are opposing it. We are not opposing it because we do not believe in Canadian culture. We are opposing it because it is an ill-thought out bill that has an impact on other industries and on jobs. It has a narrow definition of Canadian identity and Canadian culture.
