To: Hon. Tony Clement, Hon. James Moore CC: Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Hon. Michael Ignatieff, Gilles Duceppe, 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? 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 expropriation 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. Don’t do it for us. Do it for Canada. Signed, Caroline Adderson Aubrey Davis Dr. Karl E. Jirgens Nino Ricci Jody Aliesan Dan de Figueiredo Marthe Jocelyn Erika Ritter Ann Alma Anne DeGrace Dr. Barbara Killinger Heather Robertson Gail Anderson-Dargatz William Deverell Mark Kingwell Jeffrey Round Rona Arato Mary Lou Dickinson Joy Kogawa Clayton Ruby Ray Argyle Mary Alice Downie Penney Kome Estelle Salata Katherine Ashenburg Marjorie Doyle Gordon Korman Cyndi Sand-Eveland Margaret Atwood Peter Dubé David Koulack Larry Scanlan Linda Bailey Frank B. Edwards Vincent Lam Bill Schermbrucker Eugene Benson Marina Endicott José Latour Rene Schmidt Leon Berger Terry Fallis Doug Little Andreas Schroeder Ann Birch Trevor Ferguson B.M. Lloyd Ann Shortell Joe Blades Charles Foran Annabel Lyon Maggie Siggins Ronna Bloom John-James Ford J. Hugh MacDonald Sylvia Sikundar Lori Ann Bloomfield Daniel Francis Brent MacLaine Judith Silverthorne Jo Ellen Bogart Bill Freeman Alice Major Margaret Slavin Dyment Lillian Boraks-Nemetz Mark Frutkin Stephens Gerard Malone Philip Slayton Lillian Bouzane Benj Gallander Yann Martel Heather Spears Gail Bowen George Galt Sid Marty Moez Surani Lynne Bowen Carole Giangrande Carol Matas Susan Swan Linda Bramble Graeme Gibson Susan McNicoll Ania Szado Brian Brennan Susan Glickman Mar’ce Merrell Marie-José Thériault Brian Brett Douglas Glover Maurice Mierau Harry Thurston Ami Sands Brodoff Barbara Gowdy Daniel David Moses Mary Tilberg Ron Brown Charlotte Gray Farley Mowat Ann Towell Douglas Arthur Brown Barry Grills A. Mary Murphy Jane Urquhart Carol Bruneau Carla Gunn Susan Musgrave Brian Vallée Ed Butts Sylvia Gunnery Rosemary Neering Aritha van Herk Sandra Campbell Jerry Haigh Elizabeth Neill Guy Vanderhaeghe Anne Laurel Carter Robin Harlick Suzanne North Bernadette Wagner Wayson Choy Elizabeth Hay Mary Novik Fred Wah Gregory M. Cook Dorris Heffron Kenneth Oppel Eric Walters Heather Cook Trevor Herriot Shane Peacock Betsy Warland Jennifer Cook Lawrence Hill David F. Pelly Rudy Wiebe Pauline Couture Deborah Hodge Lois Peterson Armin Wiebe Susan Crean Jack Hodgins Steve Pitt Paula Wild Alan Cumyn Greg Hollingshead Sharon Pollock Dave Williamson Anita Daher David Homel Kenneth Radu Elana Wolff Antonio D’Alfonso Frances Itani Corey Redekop Betty Jane Wylie Anthony Dalton Ellen S. Jaffe Barbara Reid Paul Yee 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 .