CCA Bulletin 16/10 - The House of Commons is off for the summer

Just the Facts

Last week, members of the House of Commons left the Hill for the summer, with MPs returning to their ridings to mull over the work ahead in the fall. Meanwhile, the Senate is still trying to deal with the massive omnibus budget bill, C-9. Members of its Finance Committee are saying that they will stay as long as it takes to get through the 904 page document.

So, from the arts and culture perspective, what has been accomplished in the 65 days that the House has been sitting since the infamous prorogation that was granted by the Governor General last December? Notably, since the opening of the third session of the 40th Parliament on March 3, there has been more policy making with regards to our sector in comparison to the two preceding sessions. Several important pieces of legislation are now on the table for the House of Commons and Senate, making the fall session a likely platform for lively debates. The only deterrent would be another federal election, a scenario currently deemed unlikely by most observers! In this bulletin, the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) looks at the state of affairs on Parliament’s Order Paper and reviews current consultations which may affect the arts, culture and heritage sector. (more)

CCA Bulletin 15/10 - Amending the Copyright Act: What’s in it for Artists?

Analysis

Yesterday, the Conservative government tabled for first reading in the House of Commons Bill C-32, an Act to modernize the Canadian Copyright Act. This much awaited piece of legislation has been the object of much speculation and concern from both sides of what has been, and will no doubt continue to be a hot public debate.

The document has 65 pages of references for changes to the current Act and the deciphering of this information has started in various offices across the country. Some amendable deficiencies have already been identified by both sides of the great divide between copyright holders and copyright users/consumers. C-32 is the most recent attempt – and the third one in five years - at bridging this divide for at least for five years. One of the most interesting aspects of C-32 is that it makes for a quinquennial mandatory revision of the Copyright Act.(more)

What are your thoughts on copyright reform? Comment below!