Digital Copyright Canada

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.

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.

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.

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.

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