Back in December I wrote my MP about the proposed amendments to the copyright act. Here is her response:

Friday, January 4, 2008

Dear Mr. Woodrow:

As your Member of Parliament, I want to thank you for your correspondence sharing your concerns about the forthcoming copyright reform bill highlighted in the 2007 Speech from the Throne.

Our government knows it must quickly move forward with the reform of copyright legislation. Copyright reform is complex and the government wants to strike the right balance. Industry Canada and Canadian Heritage have taken into account the concerns of interested parties and we want to ensure that every aspect of reforming the legislation will be properly analyzed.

We have looked closely at measures taken by other countries and will determine if they are suitable for Canada. A bill will be introduced when the Minister is satisfied it strikes the right balance between creators and consumer.

I would be pleased to meet with you to discuss your concerns shortly after the New Year. Please feel free to contact my Administrative Assistant, Debbie at 984-6322, and she will set up a meeting.

Sincerely,

Joy Smith, MP
Kildonan-St. Paul
Manitoba Caucus Chair

It sounded rather familiar, and a bit of Googling turned up this letter from Gary Schellenberger, another CPC MP.

So, while I’m happy I did get a letter back, I’m disappointed (but not surprised) that the sentences were taken from a CPC-approved form letter, and that it contains the same gobbledygook that Jim Prentice has been throwing around. For example:

“Our government knows it must quickly move forward with the reform of copyright legislation.”
This one is my favorite. It doesn’t make any sense. The only parties I can think of that are demanding quick action are the CRIA, etc. and their American counterparts…?

“Industry Canada and Canadian Heritage have taken into account the concerns of interested parties and we want to ensure that every aspect of reforming the legislation will be properly analyzed.”
I haven’t done any original research on this, but from what I’ve read from Michael Geist and others, the last time consultation occurred was in the early 2000s and was later used in preparation for the failed Bill C-60 from our last Liberal government. That was back before the iTunes Music Store, and back before all of the major music companies started dropping DRM.

“We have looked closely at measures taken by other countries and will determine if they are suitable for Canada.”
Heaven help us if they’ve looked to our southern neighbors (or their ambassador) or any other country that has implemented the WIPO treaties and has a life+70 copyright term. Maybe they could look to Israel? It might have a few problems, but it’s certainly better than the DMCA.

I hope to take my MP up on her offer of a meeting. The only problem is that I don’t think we’ll have anything constructive to talk about until the bill is tabled. Any thoughts?

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