Manager, Pilot Network Services

As politicians and pundits speculate the federal government is about to call an election, the prognosis of the copyright legislation introduced last June appears poor.

If the Governor General dissolves Parliament, Bill C-61, the Act to Amend the Copyright Act, will die on the order paper, rather than go to committee for further study and second reading.

Although the New Democratic Party opposes the bill, crafted by Industry Minister Jim Prentice, the NDP’s digital rights critic says Canada’s Copyright Act still needs to be changed.

“We can’t just put off the issue of copyright,” said Charlie Angus, who represents the Ontario riding of Timmins-James Bay. “We actually need to get some legislation in place. I think Bill C-61 was the wrong legislation but certainly when Parliament gets back, we’ve got to get the job done.”

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