Normally, I leave QP to Colleague Wherry at The Commons, but I just couldn’t resist sharing this exchange for obvious reasons:
Normally, I leave QP to Colleague Wherry at The Commons, but I just couldn’t resist sharing this exchange for obvious reasons:
Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Mr. Speaker, thanks to Marjorie LeBreton, a Conservative Senate leader, we finally have an insight into Conservative thinking on digital innovation. She says not only does she not understand technologies like Facebook, she thinks they are dangerous.
Are millions of Canadian Internet users a threat? Because that seems to be the latest thinking behind the copyright trial balloon that would oppose a “three strikes and you’re out” policy for home Internet users.
Such zero tolerance for innovation might go down like gangbusters with the DMCA lobby, but does the minister think it is really going to fly with educators, innovators and consumers?Hon. Jim Prentice (Minister of Industry, CPC): Mr. Speaker, as I have said previously, the copyright bill will be introduced when myself and my colleague are prepared to introduce it to the House.
However, I sense a personal concern on the part of the hon. member. I would like to assure him today that his copyrighted exaggeration, hyperbole and overacting that he has copyrighted in this House will not be prohibited under any legislation the government introduces.
Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Mr. Speaker, let us work through the digital lock he just put on that.
The minister is going to throw out some crumbs to the public like telling them they are not going to be arrested if they time-shift their TV shows. However, if their kids download a Hannah Montana ditty or they change the locks on their iPhones they are going to get busted. That is the DMCA.
We need to start separating issues of fair use from counterfeit. We need to bring WIPO into the House for debate and we need to say that the United States ambassador is not the only one who has a right to decide what Canadian copyright legislation we have.
My question is: Why has the minister not brought the WIPO treaty into the House for debate before bringing forward new copyright legislation?
Hon. Jim Prentice (Minister of Industry, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that my hon. friend await the copyright bill and then at that time he can debate DMCA, WIPO, all the other acronyms that he wishes to bring to the floor of the House of Commons. But the bill will be introduced in due course and will be introduced once the appropriate balance has been struck between consumers and industrial consumers as well.