I know that many of you were present when Madame Bertrand addressed the annual CAB convention last October in Edmonton. She emphasized the fact that both broadcasters and the CRTC have important roles to play in applying new and emerging technologies and what they can bring to build an even more dynamic Canadian agenda in broadcasting. The Commission's priorities and approaches then outlined by Madame Bertrand are ones which I look forward to advancing in my new role. Above all, I am eager to work with you in shaping the future of our broadcasting environment, because, like you, I care deeply and passionately about this industry. Today, I find myself speaking to you at the dawn of what almost all of us would agree is the most exciting and challenging period in the history of Canadian broadcasting.
Broadcasters are indeed no newcomers to market competition.
I believe that with the experience, the knowledge, the expertise and the talents of our Canadian broadcasting companies, we have the ability to reinvent and reorganize our businesses to successfully adapt to the competitive environment into which we are all called upon to play in from hereon. In figuring out their respective futures, they are all struggling to minimize risks and optimize opportunities by controlling every aspect of their businesses, from the creation of an idea TO its production and distribution, to copyright ownership and its afterlife. This is a fabulous time because in the face of uncertainty, creativity and innovation, a sense of entrepreneurship with a flair to define one's mission and strategies are the best assets one has to succeed. And the CRTC, not as a big brother, but as an agent of change, an enabler, will encourage you to take the lead. With our May 1st announcement of the Telecom decisions, the Commission has set the conditions for launching a competitive framework for the entire Canadian telecommunications market.