Digital Copyright Canada

Elections Canada Electoral district profile (Links to Map, Past Candidates, and Past Election Results)

Member of Parliament for Churchill / Churchill

Name: Niki Ashton
e-Mail: <Ashton.N@parl.gc.ca>
Party: New Democratic Party

Website: tinakeeper.ca
IMDB: Tina Keeper (North of 60, etc)

Michael Geist reports that, "coming out of last night's election, 34 candidates who supported the copyright pledge during the campaign were elected - 11 Liberals and 23 New Democrats".

The following is a letter from Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women. It is dated March 13, 2007, in reply to a letter sent February 2, 2007.

Dear Mr. McOrmond:

Thank you for your correspondence of February 2, 2007, co-addressed to various Members of Parliament, regarding copyright reform in Canada.

I appreciate your further advising me of your views and have carefully noted your comments with respect to this matter. Please be assured that Department of Canadian Heritage are aware of and are monitoring the ongoing study of the orphan works issue in the United States of America.

The following is a letter that I sent to key members of parliament.

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Dear Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage,
Ms Christina Keeper, Liberal Heritage Critic,
M. Maka Kotto, Bloc Heritage Critic,
Mr. Charlie Angus, NDP Heritage Critic,
Mr. David McGuinty, MP for my riding of Ottawa South,

While I often write members of parliament about harmful proposals which take the right to control information technology away from their owners, there are other Copyright related issues which we should also be addressing.

In response to a discussion in Hansard about Bill C-327, I wrote the following letter. Please go to V-Chip Canada for information on that technology.

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Dear Ms. Tina Keeper, Member for Churchill, and Liberal Heritage Critic,

I noticed that on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 you participated in the debate on Bill C-327, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act (reduction of violence in television broadcasts). In this discussion you discussed technologies that allowed for parental control such as the "V-chip". I would agree with what I believe you were suggesting, that the right way to solve the problem is to have the government mandate labelling on programming and then put technology in the hands of individual Canadians to allow them to make their own viewing choices, and to give parents the tools to restrict the viewing choices of their own children.

Unfortunately, the law and technology are headed in a different direction.

Full details are at http://www.liberal.ca/pdf/docs/070118_liberal_caucus_en.pdf.

The main ones of interest to us :
Tina Keeper gets Heritage.
Scott Brison gets Industry.

Also possibly of interest :
Belinda Stronach gets "Competitiveness and the New Economy".
Ujjal Dosinjh gets Foreign Affairs.
Navdeep Bains gets International Trade.
Raymond Simard gets Treasury Board.

I'm sure they are all keen to hear how we feel about copyright reform...

One of the current activities of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage is a Briefing on Copyright, where they have had a few meetings.

Michael Geist has blogged about the Not-So-Straight Talk on Copyright MPs are receiving.

I believe this should also be taken as an oportunity for constituents to write to MPs who are in Heritage and Industry committees prior to a bill being tabled.

Election 2006: Please add comments to discuss riding specific activities, links to candidate information, etc.

Incumbent information

Churchill / Churchill
MP: Bev Desjarlais (Parliamentary Internet)
NDP Shadow Cabinet: Crown Corporations, Transportation, Canadian Wheat Board, International Development

I wrote a letter to key NDP issue critics discussing the importance of policy around patents and copyright.

Canada is at a crossroads: It could join the "coalition
of the billing" which are those countries that bow to US pressure to
outsource their cultural and economic policy to foreign special economic
interest groups. Alternatively, Canada can adopt a modern way of looking
at development in the knowledge economy and become a world leader.

Also posted on: Rabble Babble