Canadian Heritage committee  I'll come back to clarity. If the rules of the game--let's call it that--are clear, I think there will be a lot of flexibility within the rules and a lot of innovation. When the rules are unclear, people tend to sit back and argue about “ifs” and “ands”. So clarifying early, and

Canadian Heritage committee  I should clarify that Lone Pine Publishing is a trade publisher. I left the educational business partly because of the uncertainties around publishing for education.

Canadian Heritage committee  But my experience as a partner in Les Éditions Duval was especially in the K-to-12 world, the grade school world, and I had some contact as well with post-secondary. To some extent the answer is that it is here now. Digital transactions and digital resources are happening much

Canadian Heritage committee  At Lone Pine, we've invested in preparation for it. But in the book trade, we're still in a defensive stance. We're concerned about letting the horse out of the barn, because digital transactions are such a small part of the marketplace at this point—1% to 5%. It's not that we're

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you. I'm not sure whether you are pausing for an answer, but my—

Canadian Heritage committee  I think this may respond to several points or questions that have been made. I think you do run the risk, if not of turning them into lawyers, then of turning them into litigators, where they're always in court working to clarify the system. I think the question of flexibility

Canadian Heritage committee  On the topic of levies or licence fees, there have been some numbers that have gone around. Roanie mentioned $20 million a year in the K to 12 sector. In Quebec it's $9 million a year. The overall educational resources market in Canada is about $400 million a year and that is a

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, and so--

Canadian Heritage committee  Well, under agreed terms, they should be able to do whatever they're paying for. If a levy of $20 million.... Or if under expanded fair dealing the levy went to zero, or the tariff went to zero, does that replace the activity that's happening now in a $400-million marketplace?

Canadian Heritage committee  Thanks very much. I'm probably the one you're going to have to shut up, because I'm not reading from a prepared statement. I'll try to stay within the time limit. I really appreciate the chance to talk with the committee today. I've been a working writer and publisher for about