OTTAWA – A new federal copyright bill was supposed to be introduced this month in the House of Commons by Industry Minister Jim Prentice, but the ruling Conservative Party has delayed its introduction until the new year.
Canada’s actors are not amused. The government’s about-face decision to abandon the scheduled introduction of new copyright legislation is a detriment to Canada’s artists, and a hijacking of the policy process by a vocal minority, said actors union ACTRA in a press release.
"This government is turning its back on legislation that is long overdue. Politics must not trump policy. ACTRA holds the government to its promise for stronger safeguards for Intellectual Property (IP) rights it made in the Throne Speech. By not releasing the promised legislation, the government is causing further delays, and in the process shelving years of hard work," said Stephen Waddell, ACTRA national executive director, in a statement.
It was widely anticipated the federal government would introduce a new copyright bill on Tuesday, but it has now become apparent no bill is expected until 2008.
"Without protection for performers and creators, we risk more than harming our international reputation, we risk damaging our industry at large. Canada is on several IP rights watch lists because of our outdated copyright laws – in fact, among our major trading partners, Canada lags virtually last in modernizing its laws to keep up with the decade-old WIPO treaty commitments," added Richard Hardacre, ACTRA national president.
“Further inaction by the government to reform Canada’s Copyright laws jeopardizes our nation’s prosperity as a result of reduced investment, innovation, and loss of jobs in our already struggling industry.”
