I recently sent an email to my Member of Parliament, Mario Silva. He is the elected representative for my riding of Davenport. The email was regarding copyright reform in Canada. It was probably not the best letter I’ve written as I get a little worked up about these issues. It’s the reason I haven’t made a post on either copyright reform or network neutrality. I have a tendency to both write inflammatory remarks and ramble when trying to convey my feelings.
So, I received a reply today from Mr. Silva’s office. Here is the entirety of the email.
Dear Mr. Larry Coker,
Thank you for taking the time to contact the office of Mario Silva on the important issue of the copyright reform.
As you are aware, there is currently no bill on copyright reform before the government. C-60 was a bill introduced by the Minister of Canadian Heritage in 2005 and sought to amend Copyright legislation. With the new government, Bill C-60 died on the Order Paper. While copyright reform was a part of the Conservative Speech from the Throne, they have yet to submit their plans to the House of Commons. Until these plans are put forward and tabled for parliament’s review, Mr. Silva, and the Liberal party, cannot support such a bill.
What is certain is that under the leadership of Stéphane Dion, and as the challenges regarding copyrights evolve, the Liberal party will re-evaluate their position. It is unlikely that this position will be identical to the position taken previously, and we look forward to reviewing proposed amendments in the best interests of Canadian citizens, Canadian culture and Canadian Industry. When a new bill is available to all members of parliament for discussion, I assure you that Mr. Silva will be advocating a safe balance between creator and consumer, and that it will not be the technical approach of DRM (Digital Rights Management) technologies.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to this office and please do not hesitate to contact us again with any further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Braden Root-McCaig
Special Assistant / Adjoint spécial
Office of Mario Silva / Bureau de Mario Silva
MP Davenport / Député de Davenport? silvam8@parl.gc.ca ( (613) 992-2576 Â www.MarioSilva.ca
P Before printing, think about the environment. Avant d’imprimer, pensez à l’environnement.
There are some encouraging words in there with a lot of filler. At least I have some kind of idea where both the Liberal Party and Mr. Silva stand. I would recommend that everyone write to their MP and see what they have to say.