Yesterday I appeared before the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology to discuss Bill C-27, the Electronic Commerce Protection Act. The Conservatives, NDP, and Bloc have also demonstrated strong support for the bill. The Liberals have been cautious, indicating that they support the principle but expressing "significant concerns" about specific provisions. My opening tried to address some of those concerns and the dialogue that followed led to a lively debate. My opening statement is posted below. Audio of the hearing available here (the transcript is not yet online).
Post Tagged with: "industry committee"
Stanton To Hold Town Hall Meeting on C-61
Bruce Stanton, the Conservative MP for Orillia and member of the Industry Committee, has promised to hold a town hall meeting on C-61 this summer. It seems likely that the meeting comes in response to concerns from many groups about the potential effect of the bill.
Prentice’s New Non-Communications Strategy
I have blogged in the past about the evolving communication strategy for Industry Minister Jim Prentice and copyright reform. Just prior to the release of the bill, I posted an "unofficial" backgrounder that noted that Prentice was hoping to shuffle the bill to the committee so that he would not […]
Industry Committee Launches New Study on Science and Technology
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, chaired by Conservative MP James Rajotte, has announced plans to conduct hearings on science and technology policy this spring. The hearings represent an exceptionally important opportunity to advance issues such as open access, crown copyright, access to public data, […]
Ministers Respond to Industry Committee Counterfeiting Report
Four government ministers – Day (Public Safety), Prentice (Industry), Emerson (International Trade), and Nicholson (Justice) – have issued their response to last spring's Industry Committee counterfeiting report that included 19 recommendations for reform including stronger penalties, WIPO ratification, and increased border enforcement. The letter, which interestingly does include Canadian Heritage Minister Josee Verner, avoids addressing each specific recommendation as the Committee requested, choosing instead to offer some general words of support for anti-counterfeiting measures.
The letter rightly focuses first on concerns associated with health and safety. The letter continues by noting that the Government's first step in its IPR strategy has already been taken with the passage of last spring's anti-camcording legislation. Moreover, it adds that there is ongoing inter-departmental work on strengthening IP enforcement.
Looking ahead, the letter again confirms that the DMCA is headed to Canada, stating that:
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