#c-59

[psacbc]

Canada’s largest public servants’ union has filed a legal challenge of the Conservative government’s recently-passed budget bill. The Public Service Alliance of Canada alleges that Bill C-59 violates their members’ collective bargaining rights by giving the government the power to…

It’s getting hard to keep track of how many pieces of Conservative legislation are being challenged in court. Here’s another.

Some background: Why are federal government workers so mad at the Conservatives?

[mgeist]

Guess Who Claims Canadian Music May Go Silent Without Another Copyright Extension?

Guess Who Claims Canadian Music May Go Silent Without Another Copyright Extension?

The government’s gift to the recording industry wrapped up yesterday as Bill C-59 received royal assent and with it, the term of copyright for sound recordings was extended from 50 to 70 years. I’ve chronicled in detail how the extension of the copyright term without public consultation or discussion hurts Canadian consumers, reduces competition, and is a direct result of record label lobbying (s…

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[mgeist]

How the Budget Bill Quietly Reshapes Canadian Privacy Law

How the Budget Bill Quietly Reshapes Canadian Privacy Law

A budget implementation bill is an unlikely – and many would say inappropriate – place to make major changes to Canadian privacy law. Yet Bill C-59, the government’s 158-page bill that is set to sweep through the House of Commons, does just that.

The omnibus budget bill touches on a wide range of issues, including copyright term extension and retroactive reforms to access to information laws.…

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[mgeist]

Canadian Copyright Extension Set To Pass Committee As Recording Industry Lobbyist The Only Copyright Witness

Canadian Copyright Extension Set To Pass Committee As Recording Industry Lobbyist The Only Copyright Witness

The government’s decision to extend the term of copyrightfor sound recordings to 70 years appears set to pass through the Standing Committee on Finance with practically no debate or analysis. The committee will conduct its clause-by-clause review later today and there is no reason to believe that any changes will be made to the copyright provisions. The committee has conducted extremely limited…

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[mgeist]

Government's Expansion of PIPEDA in Budget Bill Raises Constitutional Questions

Government’s Expansion of PIPEDA in Budget Bill Raises Constitutional Questions

The government’s omnibus budget implementation bill (Bill C-59) has attracted attention for its inclusion of copyright term extension for sound recordings and the retroactive changesto the Access to Information Act. Another legislative reform buried within the bill is a significant change to PIPEDA, Canada’s private sector privacy law. The bill adds a new Schedule 4 to PIPEDA, which allows the…

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[porterdavis]

What to do when your police force breaks the law

Change the law retroactively, of course! That’s what Canadian Conservatives are doing with Bill C-59. It stinks and needs to be stopped dead.

"Can they do it? The answer is yes. Is it legal? The answer is you can probably find a way, but it's against every precedent, against any notion, against any principle that laws should not be retroactive."  -  Michel Drapeau, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, former Canadian Forces colonel and expert in access-to-information law.

Shame on Harper !

[mgeist]

Sound of Silence: Why the Government's Copyright Extension for Sound Recordings Will Reduce Access to Canada's Musical Heritage

Sound of Silence: Why the Government’s Copyright Extension for Sound Recordings Will Reduce Access to Canada’s Musical Heritage

The government yesterday tabled its budget implementation bill (Bill C-59), which includes provisions to extend the term of copyright for sound recordings and performances. The extension adds 20 years to the term (to 70 years). It also caps the term at 100 years after the first fixation of the sound recording or performance. The change is not retroactive, so sound recordings currently in the…

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[thisisyourgovernment]