VZCZCXRO6593
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0945 1961747
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141747Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8187
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS OTTAWA 000945
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CAN AND EEB/TPP/IPE
STATE PLEASE PASS USTR FOR SULLIVAN AND MELLE
COMMERCE FOR E BARRAGAN, S WRIGHT, AND J BOGER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON KIPR ETRD CA
SUBJECT: A ROCKY PATH FOR CANADA'S COPYRIGHT BILL
REF: OTTAWA 794
1. (SBU) Summary: Although stakeholders are generally pleased
with Canada,s recently introduced copyright bill, critics
are working against it at a grassroots level and the
opposition parties have thus far been critical. The bill
will likely require several months of Parliamentary hearings,
and it is still unclear whether the Government has enough
votes to pass the legislation. The copyright bill's future
could also be impacted if the Prime Minister clears the
legislative agenda by proroguing Parliament or if the
Government were to fall. End summary.
Legislative Process
------------------------
2. (SBU) On June 12, the Government of Canada introduced bill
C61, An Act to Amend the Copyright Act (reftel). If all
proceeds normally, after the House of Commons returns on
September 15, the bill will be given a second reading, voted
on in principle, and referred to the Industry Committee.
After a bill receives a second reading, parliamentary
procedures prevent amendments that would alter the
"principle" of the bill. According to senior Industry Canada
officials, the Industry Committee will likely hold several
months of hearings. If the committee ultimately approves the
legislation, it will be reported back to the House of Commons
for votes on any Committee amendments, followed by third
reading and a final vote. If passed by the House, the bill
would be sent to the Senate, where it would go through a
similar Parliamentary process. However, a decision by the
Prime Minister to prorogue Parliament over the summer or an
election triggered by the fall of the Government -- both
rumored possibilities -- would clear all legislation
currently before the Parliament, including bill C61.
Public Reaction
--------------------
3. (SBU) The opposition Bloc Quebecois and Liberal parties,
while critical of bill C61, have not indicated how they will
vote on the legislation. Some Bloc members of Parliament
have suggested in constituent letters that the Bloc, while
concerned about some aspects of the legislation, will support
the bill in principle at second reading. Citing the 2007
unanimous Industry Committee and the Public Safety Committee
reports calling for stronger IPR protection, many Canadian
stakeholders believe that both the Liberals and the Bloc will
ultimately support the bill. Either Party,s support --
coupled with the ruling Conservative party -- would be enough
to pass the legislation.
4. (SBU) Bill C61 was met with enthusiastic praise from the
Canadian Chamber of Commerce, The Canadian Motion Picture
Distributors Association, the Canadian Recording Industry
Association, and other stakeholders. The Chamber, in
particular, is actively supporting the bill. In addition to
press releases and op-eds, Chamber leadership is urging local
chapters to raise the merits of the bill in their communities
and with their elected representatives.
5. (SBU) Media coverage of bill C61, particularly in the
blogosphere, has generally been negative. While Minister of
Industry Jim Prentice asserts that the copyright reform is a
"made in Canada solution," grassroots opposition, including
an 85,000-member Facebook group (Fair Copyright for Canada),
has labeled C61 the "Canadian Digital Millennium Copyright
Act (DMCA)" claiming that the bill was introduced largely due
to U.S. pressure and is a close copy of the U.S. DMCA.
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada
Qhttp://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/ca nada
WILKINS