Gaëtane Lemay, Clerk of the Committee Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade The Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4

Feb. 28, 2020

Re: Request to appear before Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade — Urgent need to support Canada’s creative industries through immediate implementation of copyright term extension

Dear Ms. Lemay,

I am writing today to request that Music Publishers Canada appear as a witness during the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s study of Bill C-4, An Act to Implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States.

As you know copyright term was extended under CUSMA to life of the creator plus 70 years. This brings Canada into line with our international trading partners and is necessary for the music industry, and the publishing sector in particular, to thrive.

As we wrote in the attached open letter to Parliamentarians, signed by MPC and six other organizations, term extension provisions in CUSMA should be enacted immediately, without unnecessary delay and with no conditions. It is imperative that CUSMA be ratified quickly to ensure that Canadian songwriters, composers and the small and large businesses that invest in music publishing are properly compensated for their work. Why implement term provisions now?

Canadian songs and scores are heard daily on the radio, on streaming services, in video games, and in film, television and other screen-based productions around the world.

We strongly urge that term extension be implemented immediately and with no conditions, rather than wait the 30 months allowable under CUSMA. In that time, several works could come into public domain and creators and publishers will significantly lose the financial benefits of their hard work, which impacts their ability to reinvest in the Canadian economy.

Modernizing the Copyright Act to ensure Canadian rights holders have the same protections as their international competitors is a much-needed move to help Canadian creators, and the companies that invest in them, to continue exporting their creations around the world. A forward-looking, digitally attuned copyright regime will foster Canadian innovation, investment, and growth in a key economic sector for our great country.

Create. Promote. Protect. | Créer. Promouvoir. Protéger 56 Wellesley Street West, Suite 320 ▪ Toronto, Ontario ▪ M5S 2S3 P: 416.926.7952 ▪ www.musicpublisher.ca

Music Publishers Canada is a membership-based organization, founded in 1949, that ensures the views of music publishers working in Canada are heard. It is our mission to create business opportunities for our members and to promote their interests and those of their songwriting partners through advocacy, communication, and education.

For more information, please see our 2020 Pre-budget Submission as well as our comprehensive ​ ​ report on the economic impacts of our industry Export Ready, Export Critical: Music Publishing in ​ Canada. ​ I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss these important issues further during the committee’s study.

Sincerely,

Margaret McGuffin Executive Director, Music Publishers Canada 416-926-1966 ext. 282 [email protected] cc: Senator , chair Senator Paul Massicotte, deputy chair Senator Senator Senator Senator Senator Senator Senator Tony Dean Senator Stephen Greene Senator Michael MacDonald Senator Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain

Create. Promote. Protect. | Créer. Promouvoir. Protéger 56 Wellesley Street West, Suite 320 ▪ Toronto, Ontario ▪ M5S 2S3 P: 416.926.7952 ▪ www.musicpublisher.ca OPEN LETTER TO MPS AND SENATORS OF THE 43RD PARLIAMENT UNE LETTRE OUVERTE ADRESSÉE AUX DÉPUTÉS ET SÉNATEURS DE LA 43E LÉGISLATURE

Re: Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement Objet : L’accord Canada—États-Unis—Mexique must be ratified as soon as possible doit être ratifié le plus rapidement possible Dear Parliamentarians, Chers parlementaires,

On behalf of tens of thousands of songwriters, composers Au nom de milliers d’auteurs-compositeurs canadiens et d’éditeurs and music publishers in Canada, we welcome you back and de musique, permettez-nous de vous souhaiter un bon retour et une most of all wish you a productive Parliamentary session. fructueuse session parlementaire.

We thank the government for signing the Canada- Nous tenons à remercier le gouvernement d’avoir signé l’accord U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA) trade agreement last year. commercial Canada—États-Unis—Mexique (ACEUM) l’an dernier. Le Under it, copyright in Canada will be strengthened texte prévoit que les droits d’auteur au Canada seront renforcés, en by extending the term of protection by 20 years, prolongeant la durée de protection pour une période de 20 ans de plus, to the life of the author plus 70 years. soit la vie de l’auteur plus 70 ans. What does this mean for Quelle est l’importance de cette mesure innovation in Canada? pour l’innovation au Canada ? Canadian songs and scores are heard daily on the radio, on Les chansons et compositions canadiennes sont diffusées streaming services, in video games, and in film, television quotidiennement à la radio, dans les services numériques en and other screen-based productions around the world. continu (streaming), dans les jeux vidéo et dans les productions cinématographiques, télévisuelles et autres productions Modernizing the Copyright Act to ensure Canadian rights audiovisuelles. holders have the same protections as their international competitors is a much-needed move to help Canadian En modernisant la Loi sur le droit d’auteur pour assurer que les creators, and the companies that invest in them, to titulaires de droits canadiens aient accès aux mêmes protections que continue exporting their creations around the world. A leurs concurrents internationaux, nous aidons les créateurs canadiens forward-looking, digitally attuned copyright regime will et les entreprises qui les appuient à être concurrentiels et à exporter foster Canadian innovation, investment, and growth leurs œuvres à travers le monde. Un régime du droit d’auteur orienté in a key economic sector for our great country. vers l’avenir et adapté au monde numérique favorisera non seulement l’innovation, mais aussi l’investissement et la croissance au Canada au It is imperative that CUSMA be ratified quickly to ensure sein d’un secteur économique qui joue un rôle clé pour notre pays. that Canadian songwriters, composers and the small and large businesses that invest in music publishing are Il est donc essentiel que l’ACEUM ne tarde pas à être ratifié afin que les properly compensated for their work. The term extension auteurs-compositeurs et les petites et grandes entreprises d’édition provisions in CUSMA should be enacted immediately, musicale soient rémunérés adéquatement pour leur travail. Les without unnecessary delay and with no conditions. dispositions de l’ACEUM relatives à la prolongation de la durée des droits d’auteur doivent être adoptées sans délai et sans conditions. Adding another 20 years to the life of a copyright means a robust creative sector, more Canadian En prolongeant de 20 ans la durée de protection du droit d’auteur, cultural exports, and the growth of many innovative nous renforçons le secteur créatif, nous faisons croître les exportations businesses that have embraced the digital market. culturelles canadiennes et nous favorisons la croissance de It is long past time for Canada to catch up to its nombreuses entreprises qui saisissent les opportunités du marché international trading partners in this respect. numérique. Il est grand temps que le Canada rattrape ses partenaires commerciaux internationaux à cet égard. CUSMA presents an amazing, tangible opportunity to expand Canada’s music publishing industry, invest L’ACEUM représente une occasion à saisir afin de dynamiser l’industrie more in emerging songwriters and composers and canadienne de l’édition musicale, permettant d’investir davantage make our Canadian companies even more competitive dans les auteurs et compositeurs, en plus de rendre nos entreprises globally. We urge all Parliamentarians to make the early canadiennes encore plus performantes sur la scène internationale. ratification of CUSMA their top legislative priority. Nous invitons donc les parlementaires à prioriser la ratification de l’ACEUM. Sincerely, Cordialement,

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