Industry committee  These are very complicated questions and the decisions that go with them will have a lot of impact. My minister clearly said that we are going to take our time, that the government really must consider all options and consequences. He has also made it clear that culture and broad

Industry committee  The government must take time to study all these issues, but it is clear that we are not dealing with cultural or broadcasting matters in terms of the commitments made in the Speech from the Throne and in the budget.

Industry committee  Yes, it is in fact true that this committee, in 2003, did produce a report on this very subject, and that report made a number of recommendations. It looked at the issue of foreign investment restrictions from a variety of perspectives and it made a number of recommendations rega

Industry committee  I think Minister Clement has been quite clear that the commitment to look at the issue of foreign investment restrictions will not extend to culture and broadcasting.

Industry committee  We will follow up.

Industry committee  I would be happy to get you a copy of that study. My understanding is that it was at a point in time, as they normally are. It would have been looking backwards at the impacts of liberalization. But obviously it would have been done at a certain point in time.

Industry committee  I think it would be important to recognize that foreign investment regulations are but one element of the regulatory framework--that, and the policy framework that regulates telecommunications, the provision of telecommunication services in Canada. We have the CRTC, for example.

Industry committee  The Telecommunications Act regulates the provision of telecommunications services, which I guess would be as clear as mud, but basically they are telephone services, broadband Internet services received in your home, and wireless services. These are regulated as telecommunication

Industry committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is obviously an issue that is very complex, and it will take some time for the government to look at particular options, particular models, and also to come forward with a process and a timeline for consulting with industry on a path forward on this is

Industry committee  In looking at the benefits of more competition and allowing more foreign direct investment, we have found, in general, that when we look across sectors and over time, foreign direct investment brings two kinds of benefits. The first is that foreign investors bring assets. They

Industry committee  Sure. The Red Wilson panel was set up to look broadly at issues around competition in the Canadian economy. The reason for the Red Wilson panel was, I think, a view that the world is changing quickly, and Canada needs to remain competitive. The Wilson panel was tasked with lookin

Industry committee  Mr. Chair, first of all, I would like to note that under section 12 of the Telecommunications Act, Parliament provided to the Governor in Council the authority to vary decisions by the CRTC. In this particular case, the Governor in Council chose to vary this decision of the CRTC

Industry committee  It's hard for me to speculate on that, not having been part of that debate, but I do think that the nature of these debates has changed over the years. We have had many debates in Canada about what economic ownership means to our culture and our identity, and it has spanned decad

Industry committee  This is an issue that has been debated in many sectors of the Canadian economy, and there is much evidence, particularly on the economic side, that shows the strong benefits of foreign investment to Canada. What we have seen when we look across the board at many sectors, includ

Industry committee  I think it's important to be clear that it is the Broadcasting Act that regulates the delivery of content in Canada, content provision, and my minister has been quite clear on this point, that we are not looking at culture here and we are not looking at broadcasting.