The Canadian Press features an interesting piece on the legal validity of electronic petitions. The article notes the need for government to adjust the rules to accommodate online advocacy.
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The Copyright MPs
Industry Minister Jim Prentice has understandably been the focal point of the Canadian DMCA given that it is his bill and his call as to whether the government will proceed with anti-education, anti-consumer, and anti-business copyright legislation. While every MP should be paying close attention to copyright – anecdotal evidence suggests that the majority of MPs from all parties have heard from constituents about the issue – there is a subset that should be particularly concerned.
The Copyright MPs are a group of 27 MPs (nine percent of all MPs) who share two key attributes – they won their riding by 10 percent or less in the last election and their riding is home to a university. The combination is important since it is these MPs – not the very safe Jim Prentice – who will face the consequences of the Prentice bill that will harm a generation well versed in digital technologies, social networks, and the Internet. In some ridings, less than 1,000 votes – roughly the size of some large first year courses – is needed to swing the entire riding. In all, there are 10 Conservatives, 11 Liberals, 4 NDP, and 2 Bloc. Who are the Copyright MPs?
The ten Conservative Copyright MPs who will be on the hotseat are:
| MP | Riding | University | Winning Percentage | Runner Up Party |
| Rahim Jaffer (C) | Edmonton-Strathcona | U of Alberta | 9.2 percent | NDP |
| Dean Del Mastro (C) | Peterborough | Trent | 3.6 percent | Liberal |
| James Lunney (C) | Nanaimo-Alberni | Malaspina | 9.1 percent | NDP |
| Rod Bruinooge (C) | Winnipeg South | U of Manitoba | 0.2 percent | Liberal |
| David Sweet (C) | Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough | McMaster | 4.6 percent | Liberal |
| Norman Doyle (C) | St. John's East | Memorial | 10.5 percent | Liberal |
| Peter MacKay (C) | Central Nova | St. FX | 7.8 percent | NDP |
| Colin Carrie (C) | Oshawa | UOIT | 5.2 percent | NDP |
| Betty Hinton (C) | Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo | Thompson Rivers | 8.5 percent | NDP |
| Joe Comuzzi (L) | Thunder Bay-Superior North | Lakehead | 1.0 percent | NDP |
Canadian Copyright Lobby Seeking Mandated ISP Filtering
CRIA's Graham Henderson was in Ottawa today together with several other music groups to make their case for immediate copyright reform. Perhaps responding to the recent masthead editorials in the Vancouver Sun and National Post, the group met with the Ottawa Citizen's editorial board which has posted an MP3 version of the conversation. While there are some shots at me (counterfactual information?) and the obligatory distribution of Barry Sookman's attack on me and the Facebook group, there are two story lines that are worth noting (in addition to the ironic use of the CMCC's Feist as the Canadian artist example and the weak response to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's concerns).
The first is that there is a great deal of common ground between what Henderson, CIRPA's Duncan McKie and the other attendees want and the Fair Copyright for Canada principles. Henderson and McKie both indicate that they have no intention of launching file sharing lawsuits, which should make the changes to the statutory damages provisions relatively non-contentious (though not a big win for users either). More importantly, several people in the room say they want WIPO, not the DMCA. That can be consistent with the Fair Copyright for Canada principles – linking anti-circumvention legislation to copyright infringement, avoiding a ban on devices that can be used to circumvent, and distribution as part of the making available right are all consistent with WIPO implementation.
While that is the good news, the second big story – which can easily be missed if you aren't paying attention – should send a chill down the spine of millions of Canadians.
Harper Government Fires National Science Advisor
Re$earch Money reports that the Conservative government has fired Dr. Arthur Carty and closed the Office of the National Science Advisor. Carty was well-respected and took a strong stand for open access during his tenure. Update: CBC provides coverage of the story.
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The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 229: My Digital Access Day Keynote – Assessing the Canadian Digital Policy Record 
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The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 228: Kumanan Wilson on Why Canadian Health Data Requires Stronger Privacy Protection in the Trump Era
