CCA Bulletin 20/09
July 16, 2009
Review of Summer 2009 Consultations
Who said that summers were a period of rest and holidays? As the CCA rolls through its own version of summer, preparations for important consultations are underway.
The 2009 pre-budget consultation
The CCA has submitted this year again a request to appear in front of the Standing Committee on Finance for the 2009 pre-budget consultations. In the mean time, consultations within our membership are underway as we prepare our written submission which must be presented no later than August 14.
As usual, the Committee has provided questions to frame the specific issues it wants to examine:
1. What federal tax and program spending measures are needed to ensure prosperity and a sustainable future for Canadians from an economic, social and/or environmental perspective?
2. What federal stimulus measures have been effective and how might relatively ineffective measures be changed to ensure that they have the intended effects?
This year again, the rules imposed on interveners have strict guidelines: briefs should be no longer than five pages in length (including an Executive Summary!!!), should include an executive summary, should contain a maximum of three recommendations that reflect your most important federal tax or program spending priority, and should – where possible – indicate the expected federal cost of your proposal. In the event that briefs contain more than three recommendations, or three recommendations that contain a number of parts, only the first three recommendations or the first part of a multi-part recommendation will be considered by the Committee.
The restrictions on the length and scope of the submission will surely provide a challenge to organizations like the CCA whose mandate is to represent the interests of the arts, culture and heritage sectors in Canada!
The Committee hopes to hold public hearings in 10 communities according to the following timetable:
Ottawa, Ontario: September 14, October 26 and November 2, 2009
Vancouver, British Columbia: September 28, 2009
Edmonton, Alberta: September 29, 2009
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories: September 30, 2009
Summerside, Prince Edward Island: October 5, 2009
St. John’s, Newfoundland: October 6, 2009
Quebec City, Quebec: October 7, 2009
Regina, Saskatchewan: October 19, 2009
Winnipeg, Manitoba: October 20, 2009
Toronto, Ontario: October 21, 2009
What can I do?
If you or your organization wishes to make an appearance before the Committee during the pre-budget consultations, you have to send an email to Mr. François Pagé, Clerk of the Committee, no later than Friday July 31, indicating three locations where you are willing to appear. The Committee will try to accommodate all witnesses requesting an appearance, but cannot guarantee that everyone will have an opportunity to make an oral presentation. The deadline to submit the accompanying written brief is no later than Friday, August 14 2009 in order for the brief to be translated and distributed to Committee members. You are able to submit a brief even if you do not wish to make an oral presentation.
If you would like to receive a copy of the CCA draft submission, please contact CCA Policy Advisor, Jessica Litwin, at Jessica.Litwin@ccarts.ca . The CCA would very much appreciate receiving a copy of your own submission.
Copyright Reform
On June 22, 2009 a major one-day forum titled Canada's Digital Economy: Moving Forward was held to gather 150 industry leaders and academics from across the country. Noticeably absent were representatives of the arts and culture communities. Following this event, Industry Minister Tony Clement and Heritage Minister James Moore announced they would consult Canadians this summer before introducing any amendments to Canada's copyright laws in the fall, stating that they would “be coming to a city, town, village, pasture near you and talking about those issues with a view to getting on track with legislation this fall."
The current government has been firm that it will reintroduce the legislation to update Canada's copyright laws in order to bring Canada in line with its obligations to the World Intellectual Property Organization, which Canada signed onto in 1997. The government's previous copyright-reform legislation, Bill C-61, died on the order paper last year when the federal election was called. At the time, it provoked polarized reactions, pitching copyright owners against copyright users and consumers associations. The current round of consultations obviously aims at addressing the criticism that Bill C-61 was tabled without consulting the public before announcing the legislation.
On July 20, 2009, the two Ministers will launch nation-wide consultations to solicit Canadians’ opinions on the important issue of copyright reform. The consultations will run until September 13, 2009. In addition, there will be an online consultation, which will be open to all Canadians starting July 20, 2009. Those interested may join in on the online discussion forum or share views more formally by posting a submission.
The CCA has been invited to participate in one of the roundtable discussions on copyright reform but given the short notice and our restricted resources, we will for the moment simply monitor the process and report on it. According to the invitation received, the government has committed to modernizing Canada’s copyright laws, “to provide meaningful rights for creators and promote the use of digital technology by its citizens. The process undertaken is to ensure that all perspectives are taken into account in an open and transparent process, to help deliver new legislation in the fall that is forward-looking, reflects Canadian values, and strengthens Canada’s ability to compete in the global digital economy.”
Public consultations on the Canada Media Fund
The Canadian Television Fund (CTF) will also give stakeholders the chance to participate in a consultation examining the Fund’s transition into the Canada Media Fund (CMF). The CTF will morph next year into the CMF, broadening its mandate to include the support of new media.
The President and CEO of the CTF said in a statement:
"Through the consultation process, industry stakeholders will play an active role in determining the program policies of the Canada Media Fund. This consultation with the industry is critical to a successful launch of the CMF and we look forward to hearing the great ideas this process will generate".
This consultation will first occur through an online town hall meeting. The CTF said it will later host provincial, territorial, and national focus groups aimed at addressing further questions and concerns. The August 6, 2009 online meeting will see the Fund present briefing papers on the "key policy issues" raised by its new mandate, after which stakeholders may submit written comments. Full details about the written submission process and participation in the Focus Groups will be provided at the virtual August 6 town hall, about which more information will be made available in the near future.
Here is where you can find more details about the whole process leading to the April 1, 2010 launch of the CMF.
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