ARCHIVED — Bertrand, Chantal
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COPYRIGHT REFORM PROCESS
SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED REGARDING THE CONSULTATION PAPERS
Documents received have been posted in the official language in which they were submitted. All are posted as received by the departments, however all address information has been removed.
Submission from Chantal Bertrand received on September 15, 2001 via e-mail
Subject: proposed changes to copyright act
Dear Sir or Madam,It is clear that changes to the Copyright Act have been long in the
making. It is indeed a serious matter which merits much investigation as
well as debate. I am troubled however at the absence of public
consultation of such an important issue which will undoubtedly affect
the lives of every Canadian.
In particular, I am troubled by the apparent adoption of the American
Digital Millennial Copyright Act by our own government. First of course
because our sovereignty must be questioned when we fall into line with
other governments who have very different historical, political and
social contexts. Canada must be seen to act on behalf of its own
contexts, on behalf of our citizens. For example, amending changes to
health care on an American model would be obviously mistaken, and
disastrous to our social fabric.
Secondly, the model of the DMCA, notwithstanding its foreign context,
presents a significant challenge to among other things, free speech. As
we look south there are already numerous troubling examples where free
speech is under fire.
We need to consider very carefully the type of society Canada is
building, especially with emerging communications such as the Internet
becoming more important in our daily lives. Canada's historical
relationship to copyright has if not smooth attempted to adapt to our
changing realities. The ability to define diverse ways of communicating
among ourselves will depend on our ability to envision an open society
where freedom is not equated with profit. Canadian's unique identity
centers on a historical dedication to inclusive ways of knowing. As such
I demand that Canada develop a unique approach to the pressing issues of
copyright and the host if issues attached to it so that we may preserve
our unique identity.
Sincerely,
Chantal Bertrand, MA.
Canadian Historian of Communications and Technology