Election speculation taking toll on work of C-32 legislative committee

OTTAWA—Productivity at the C-32 legislative committee appears to have slowed to a crawl as partisan gamesmanship takes centre stage and political parties fail to sit down and negotiate possible amendments. Liberal MP and heritage critic Pablo Rodriguez, a member of the C-32 committee, said in an interview Thursday that the Conservative members on the committee have not approached the Liberals about their proposed amendments. “If they really wanted this to pass, they would have come to us and opened some kind of discussion,” Rodriguez said following Thursday’s meeting of the legislative committee on Bill C-32, the Conservative government’s omnibus copyright reform legislation. “They would have given some kind of reaction to our proposals for amendments. They haven’t done anything up to now.” The committee meeting last Thursday was characterized in large part by politicking and partisan questions directed at witnesses. Towards the end of the meeting, Mike Lake, the parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister Tony Clement, used his question time to discuss how the Liberals last year voted in favour of expanding the private copying levy to digital music players. The Liberals say they do not support expanding the levy, and instead have proposed that $35 million per year be directed from the government’s general revenues to the Canadian Private Copying Collective for redistribution to artists. Rodriguez said the Conservatives could win Liberal support for the passage of the bill if amendments are made, but the parties are not discussing the options. “If they were serious about this, they would stop lying about the levy. They would call us and see if there was something we could sit down and negotiate,” Rodriguez said. The Liberals released a list of proposed amendments in December. But Dean Del Mastro, a member of the C-32 committee and the parliamentary secretary to Heritage Minister James Moore, said he has met with the Liberals. “I have met, on several occasions, with Liberal members of the committee on the bill to specifically talk about how we can bridge some of the divides on this,” he said. He said the opposition members should agree to longer meetings and an accelerated work schedule to speed up what is now a slow process. “We have had those negotiations, and we’ve been talking back and forth.” The prospect of a potential election this spring appears to have put some of the serious work of Parliament on hold as MPs focus on election preparation and scoring political points with the electorate. A confidence vote on the Conservative government’s federal budget this spring could dissolve Parliament and trigger an election. In that case all legislation in Parliament would die on the order paper. Bloc Québécois MP and heritage critic Carole Lavallée said in an interview that it’s normal that parties do not start negotiating amendments until they finish with witnesses and move to clause-by-clause consideration of the bill. She said that, in her opinion, it’s too early to say negotiations between the parties have failed. “We have to hear from all the witnesses. At the end, we’ll have a good idea of our amendments,” Lavallée said. One industry insider who is watching the meetings closely agreed, saying constructive conversation has become difficult in the current political climate. The insider said “real work” will begin when the committee starts to consider specific amendments. “Then we’ll know whether there is a common goal of getting this passed,” the source said. The Conservatives have urged the opposition members to accelerate the meetings and get through an expected witness count of more than 200. But the opposition members say there’s no need to rush the work schedule and that, at two meetings per week, they are already reading several witness briefs per week. Del Mastro said the Liberals have indicated to him that if it becomes clear there is no election this spring, the party will be open to an accelerated work schedule. “I don’t think there will be an election. We don’t want one, and I think what we should be doing right now is taking this process seriously,” Del Mastro said. He said all members of the committee know the issues and should be dealing with the bill’s substance. “It’s a disingenuous approach right now,” Del Mastro said. “The committee should take the approach that there will be no election.” NDP MP and digital affairs critic Charlie Angus said the party is willing to do the necessary work to pass the bill, but that the legislation needs amendment and the government has not reached out to negotiate. “Holding press conferences in malls attacking our position is not exactly reaching out,” Angus said, referring to a government news conference outside an HMV store in Ottawa last December where Clement and Heritage Minister James Moore reiterated their staunch opposition to the proposal for a levy on digital media players. “As soon as they want to sit down and talk, we’re there. But they haven’t shown that willingness yet,” Angus said. “We’re not seeing these guys put any effort into this.” Last Thursday, the Business Coalition for Balanced Copyright (BCBC), the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Council of Canada, and the Union des consommateurs appeared before the committee. On Tuesday the committee is scheduled to hear from the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the Art Dealers Association of Canada, the Canadian Artists' Representation, and the Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec. sdoyle@thewirereport.ca

Election speculation taking toll on work of C-32 legislative committee

Broadcast | February 7, 2011

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