With the government now said to be "retreating"
from its initial position on the Internet surveillance bill - Public
Safety Minister Vic Toews says the government will entertain amendments
- the starting
point should be to stop misleading on the privacy concerns associated
with subscriber data. Concerns about warrantless access to
subscriber
information such as email and IP addresses have been at the forefront
of the Bill C-30 criticism, but the government persists in claiming
this information is "the modern day equivalent of the phone book."
According to the Public Safety talking
points on the bill:
Myth: Basic subscriber information is
way beyond "phone book information".
Fact: The basic subscriber
information described in the proposed legislation is the modern day
equivalent of information that is accessed from the phone book. These
identifiers are often searchable online and shared between individuals
in online communications.
The government persists in justifying its mandatory disclosure of
subscriber information without a warrant on the basis that the
information is as openly available the phone book, yet this is plainly
untrue.
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The Drummond
Report is attracting significant
attention with its somewhat dire outlook for the Ontario economy.
The report includes a notable
warning
about the costs of the proposed Canada - EU Trade Agreement,
particularly the increased costs arising from patent reforms being
promoted by large pharmaceutical companies:
The outcome of the negotiations for a
comprehensive free trade agreement with the European Union could have
significant impact on the cost of prescription drugs in Ontario. A key
negotiating point, the extension of Canadian patent protections for
pharmaceutical drugs to European standards, could cost Ontario
taxpayers up to $1.2 billion annually ($551 million for the Ontario
government and $672 million for the private sector), thus wiping out
gains from recent drug reforms. The province should work with the
federal government to ensure that a CETA does not undermine Ontario’s
interest in expanding the use of generic drugs.
With Ontario searching for ways to bring down its deficit, it is
increasingly apparent that including patent reforms within Canada's
trade agreement will have a damaging impact that adds billions of
dollars to provincial health care costs.
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