To: Hon. Tony Clement, Hon. James Moore Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Hon. Michael Ignatieff, Gilles Duceppe, CC: Hon. Jack Layton, and Members of the Special Legislative Committee on Bill C-32 Subject: Canada’s Digital Economy at Risk From: Concerned Canadian Authors
Dear Ministers:
You have in your hands a piece of legislation that will radically weaken the law that is the foundation of Canada’s Creative Industries, needlessly exposing this nation’s cultural identity and heritage to serious risk. Never mind the impact on the 600,000 of us who work as writers, artists, performers, composers, songwriters, and producers. Never mind that our sector contributes more than $46bn to Canada’s GDP,
more than twice the value of Canada’s forestry industry.
Consider only this: by undermining the creators and innovators at the heart of it all, C-32 threatens Canada’s place in the rapidly evolving global digital landscape. Our creative content is the oil that fuels the $46bn machine that drives the digital economy of tomorrow. What sense is there in doing this? expropriation C-32 undermines Canada’s position by expropriating income that sustains Canadian creators in the name of “fair” (i.e. free) use for education and other unprecedented exceptions. This is without compensation. These exceptions are so ill-conceived, the Quebec Bar Association has written to you to express grave concerns about Canada’s international obligations, warning of decades of costly
litigation to come as stakeholders war over this law’s treacherous ambiguities.*
In the meantime, Canada’s creators are shocked to learn that instead of protecting our rights, as copyright has done for centuries, under the pretext of “modernization” Bill C-32 threatens to take rights away, making our future, and the future of Canada’s digital economy more precarious. The creators at the heart of Canada’s digital future risk being shut out of it by a badly written law. This legislation is unacceptable; it must be fixed. There’s still a chance to do the right thing. There’s still a chance to get copyright right. Canada. Don’t do it for us. Do it for Signed, Nino Ricci Dr. Karl E. Jirgens Erika Ritter Aubrey Davis Marthe Jocelyn Caroline Adderson Dan de Figueiredo Heather Robertson Jody Aliesan Dr. Barbara Killinger Jeffrey Round Anne DeGrace Mark Kingwell Ann Alma William Deverell Clayton Ruby Gail Anderson-Dargatz Joy Kogawa Estelle Salata Mary Lou Dickinson Penney Kome Rona Arato Mary Alice Downie Cyndi Sand-Eveland Ray Argyle Gordon Korman Larry Scanlan Marjorie Doyle David Koulack Katherine Ashenburg Peter Dubé Bill Schermbrucker Margaret Atwood Vincent Lam Rene Schmidt Frank B. Edwards José Latour Linda Bailey Marina Endicott Andreas Schroeder Eugene Benson Doug Little Ann Shortell Terry Fallis B.M. Lloyd Leon Berger Trevor Ferguson Maggie Siggins Ann Birch Annabel Lyon Sylvia Sikundar Charles Foran J. Hugh MacDonald Joe Blades John-James Ford Judith Silverthorne Ronna Bloom Brent MacLaine Margaret Slavin Dyment Daniel Francis Alice Major Lori Ann Bloomfield Bill Freeman Philip Slayton Jo Ellen Bogart Stephens Gerard Malone Heather Spears Mark Frutkin Yann Martel Lillian Boraks-Nemetz Benj Gallander Moez Surani Lillian Bouzane Sid Marty Susan Swan George Galt Carol Matas Gail Bowen Carole Giangrande Ania Szado Lynne Bowen Susan McNicoll Marie-José Thériault Graeme Gibson Mar’ce Merrell Linda Bramble Susan Glickman Harry Thurston Brian Brennan Maurice Mierau Mary Tilberg Douglas Glover Daniel David Moses Brian Brett Barbara Gowdy Ann Towell Ami Sands Brodoff Farley Mowat Jane Urquhart Charlotte Gray A. Mary Murphy Ron Brown Barry Grills Brian Vallée Douglas Arthur Brown Susan Musgrave Aritha van Herk Carla Gunn Rosemary Neering Carol Bruneau Sylvia Gunnery Guy Vanderhaeghe Ed Butts Elizabeth Neill Bernadette Wagner Jerry Haigh Suzanne North Sandra Campbell Robin Harlick Fred Wah Anne Laurel Carter Mary Novik Eric Walters Elizabeth Hay Kenneth Oppel Wayson Choy Dorris Heffron Betsy Warland Gregory M. Cook Shane Peacock Rudy Wiebe Trevor Herriot David F. Pelly Heather Cook Lawrence Hill Armin Wiebe Jennifer Cook Lois Peterson Paula Wild Deborah Hodge Steve Pitt Pauline Couture Jack Hodgins Dave Williamson Susan Crean Sharon Pollock Elana Wolff Greg Hollingshead Kenneth Radu Alan Cumyn David Homel Betty Jane Wylie Anita Daher Corey Redekop Paul Yee Frances Itani Barbara Reid Antonio D’Alfonso Ellen S. Jaffe Anthony Dalton
Readers: help us by showing support in emails/letters to the clerk of the Special Committee on C-32, at [email protected]. Or go to www.copyrightgetitright.ca and find out more.
* http://www.barreau.qc.ca/actualites-medias/positions/index.html