The Liberals have named their shadow cabinet for the upcoming parliamentary session. Gerard Kennedy (who supported the copyright pledge) will be the Industry critic. Hedy Fry, who conducted roundtables on copyright over the summer, takes over as Canadian Heritage critic.
News
Federal Court of Appeal Upholds Ebay Power Seller Decision
The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld an earlier decision ordering eBay to provide information on Canadian power sellers. The Globe and Mail reports that the Canadian Revenue Agency plans to escalate its investigation in light of the decision. A key part of the case turns on the fact that […]
Canadian Government Re-Launches ACTA Consultations
The Canadian government has re-launched its consultation on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. The last consultation was conducted in the spring. While the government did not release the results of that consultation, I recently reported on the findings based on documents obtained under the Access to Information Act. The new consultation […]
TVO Strikes Deal With YouTube
TVO, Ontario's public broadcaster, has announced plans to develop a dedicated YouTube channel featuring its programming and involving a revenue sharing partnership.
Pre-Judging James Moore
Billboard runs a story today titled Canadian Biz Raises Concerns About Government Appointment. The article features music industry criticisms of new Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, with comments of the "fox running the chicken house" and that the appointment is "a kick in the head of Quebec for not supporting Harper." Those unwarranted criticisms suggest that Moore will not be sensitive to music industry demands since he has a broadcasting background and is not from Quebec.
Both of these criticisms are off-the-mark. First, a broadcast background increasingly appears to be a pre-requisite for the position – Josee Verner, Bev Oda, and Liza Frulla all came from the broadcast industry and no one would accuse them of siding against the music industry. Second, the notion that a Heritage minister must come from Quebec is also wrong – Sheila Copps is widely viewed as the most influential Heritage minister in recent times and she was from Hamilton.
The reality is that it is far too early to cast judgment on the appointment.
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