Official Languages committee  We've made a significant investment. We've made what we think is a fair offer, and I think it's time to see if SRC has a response. We'll have to discuss the proposal we put forward today with them.

Official Languages committee  We've dealt with all of the cable companies, so virtually every region of the country, through our contacts. Whether it be the major cable or satellite carriers or whether it be the members of the CCSA, which is the small system cable alliance, or whether it be with the independents--and I think those are some of the ones that you're referring to--they have all been contacted, either in person, over the phone, or by letter, or through the CCSA, which represents the member group.

Official Languages committee  I'm not sure where you got that information.

Official Languages committee  I have two comments there. First of all, we had to meet a certain threshold in order to win the bid, which we did.

Official Languages committee  I just want to make sure that is on the record. Secondly, I think with what I've said today, we've opened the door for the potential of another discussion. We think we've moved a long way from our original position, and we think what we are proposing is quite fair.

Official Languages committee  No. We haven't spoken with them yet. You're hearing it before they are.

Official Languages committee  You wouldn't have competing advertising because we would sell all the advertising.

Official Languages committee  That's right--if it went the way they wanted it to go. Outside of the province of Quebec we have distribution from TQS and RDS, so if they were to sell their own advertising there it would compete directly with the francophone side of the consortium, absolutely.

Official Languages committee  The answer is no, in terms of money.

Official Languages committee  I come back to whether there is a public responsibility and an opportunity here, understanding that we're talking about outside the province of Quebec. During the period of the games there is nothing that will compete with the games themselves; there's no programming you could put on.

Official Languages committee  You've described it fairly accurately. Yes, our proposal was that they take our feed and put it on their waves. By the way, I missed saying this: we're talking about outside the province of Quebec. But yes, that's the proposal we made, that they would take our signal, unaltered, do nothing to it; our commentators, the look, everything would be the consortium's feed, produced by Gerry, who by the way, is also—

Official Languages committee  It's French coverage. It's—

Official Languages committee  It's exactly what we did with the Montreal Canadiens, and their concern is exactly as you've stated, that they do not want to have another company's production on their airwaves. They want to produce it themselves, and if they produce it themselves, obviously there's a cost to that; therefore they also want to have the ability to sell the advertising.

Official Languages committee  I think in the proposal we made, the first one, where they pick up our signal, there really is no cost. There's no incremental cost. In fact, in that model we offer to compensate for any lost advertising revenue for the signal they were carrying outside the province of Quebec. So it really was, we thought, an elegant solution to the problem.

Official Languages committee  To the extent that they lost advertising revenue for shows they would have aired outside of the province of Quebec, we said, “We will make you whole”; so it's not to cover some of it, but cover all of it. That was the proposal, and that's where we started. Unfortunately, it never went beyond that.