HALIFAX– Liberal Industry critic Geoff Regan made the following statement today on Bill C-11 (An Act to Amend the Copyright Act):
“Next week, thanks to a Conservative time allocation motion that curtailed debate in the House of Commons, C-11 will be sent to a special legislative committee for study.
It is essential that our copyright laws be balanced in order to protect both the consumers and creators of copyrighted content. The Liberal Party has already taken a strong stand on Bill C-11 and will be seeking amendments to ensure that this balance is struck, including the linking of circumvention of digital locks to actual copyright infringement.
Over the past few weeks there have been persistent, troubling rumours that the Conservatives will attempt to amend C-11 by expanding the infringement provisions in the bill in order to give the government greater powers to block and pull down websites. While we have not seen any such amendments, the Liberal Party will be ready to fight any changes that do not strike an appropriate balance between content creators and users.
We will be particularly vigilant in opposing any changes that threaten to harm legitimate websites, lock down the internet or create an investment chill that would prevent Canada’s digital economy from competing globally.”
