CCA Bulletin 4/11

January 31, 2011

Members of Parliament return to the Hill

With January already behind us, politicians are back in Ottawa today to resume their legislative business. All this in the midst of increasing speculation that the life of this Parliament may come to an end as soon as the Minister of Finance stands up in the House of Commons to deliver the budget speech. Speculation will likely continue for the next eight to 10 weeks.

As it happens, the CCA will be very active around the Hill this week with a number of events. Here are some key activities to look out for.

Copyright Bill C-32 hearing

The CCA will appear before the legislative committee on Bill C-32 tomorrow, February 1, at 11 am (EST).  We will be on the same panel as Bill Freeman of the Creators' Copyright Coalition. Tune in on Parlvu to hear us discuss why we believe that as it now stands, Bill C-32 is not in the best interest of artists and creators and detrimental to Canada’s global competitiveness. The main criticism that will be raised by the CCA is that the bill proposes a “one-size-fits-all” approach which clearly satisfies the big players and international business interests, but which is totally irrelevant to the majority of Canadian musicians, writers, actors, painters and other artists and cultural creators.  In its current form, C-32 sets the stage for the destruction of the collective system of rights management. As an alternative, the bill offers an unworkable remedy of implementing digital locks and relying on litigation, two options artists neither want nor can afford. Worse still, the bill takes away recognized rights and revenue – over $ 126 million a year and counting - in exchange for vague promises of a better future.

The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage is also interested in intellectual property

Today, the Heritage Committee begins a study on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). This treaty has been the object of secret negotiations for over three years, with Canada being an active participant. ACTA is a proposed multilateral agreement for the purpose of establishing international standards on intellectual property enforcement; it purports to establish a new international legal framework that countries can join on a voluntary basis, outside of existing international institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) or the World Intellectual Property  Organization (WIPO). Other countries participating in this negotiation process have already undertaken studies and consultations; so it is due time for our Canadian politicians to do the same. The committee’s hearings are taking place following a motion from the Bloc Québécois which was supported by other opposition parties and opposed by government members. Peter Van Loan, Minister of International Trade, along with ACTA and CETA trade negotiators are the first witnesses to appear before the committee during the course of the study.

CRTC hearing on the sale of CTVgm to BCE

On Thursday, February 3, the CCA will appear before the CRTC to elaborate on our stance that the public benefits package proposed by Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) in the purchase of CTVglobemedia (CTVgm) is not sufficient given the size of this transaction. The CCA will discuss why it has problems with both the amount and the nature of the benefits package proposed by BCE. On the former, the CCA will urge the Commission to clearly establish the value attached to the transaction in order to decide on the proper level of benefits to be set as a condition. On the latter, we will ask the Commission to make sure that the package is of real public benefit and does not simply serve the private interests of BCE.  

Our other main concern has to do with the impacts of the ever increasing conglomeration of broadcasting and media platforms in Canada. The acquisition of CTVgm by BCE will alter Canada’s media landscape and increase vertical integration by combining the country’s largest telecommunications company with the leading Anglophone private broadcaster. As steward of the Broadcasting Act, it is the CRTC's duty to ensure that such concentration of power benefits Canadians and Canadian culture.

CCA Business

Finally, the CCA will begin a new round of elections for its board of governors on February 1. This is a very important process which will lead to establishing a strong group of cultural leaders around the table. The board renewal process involves two steps: first, eight members are elected by members for a three year mandate, renewable once. Then, based on the results of the election, up to five members are appointed by the outgoing board for a mandate of two years, renewable twice. The election will take place beginning tomorrow, February 1, through to Friday, February 11. It is very important that CCA members participate in this democratic process. Make sure to keep an eye on your emails for the instructions on how to fulfill your responsibility and vote.

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