Bonwick talks tough on WIPO ratification

Liberal Member of Parliament Paul Bonwick will introduce a working plan on March 9 to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that would see the body work toward ratification of the WIPO Internet treaties by February 2005. In a recent interview with Canadian NEW MEDIA, Bonwick talked tough about giving direction to both the departments of Canadian Heritage and Industry Canada to meet the proposed timetable. Bonwick says he has the support of the prime minister and the prime minister’s staff to implement his timetable. With many of the committee members returning for the new session, the working plan seems to be a shoo-in to pass. He won’t divulge details of which issues he’d like to see the committee deal with or comment on speculation that the issue of ISP liability may have been dropped from the agenda to focus on WIPO implementation. He tells CNM, "that will be up to the committee to determine. There have been suggestions, as I understand it - or discussions - from the department about what they would or would not leave off...It’s all speculation on their part, as they will be reminded - when they sit in front of the committee on Tuesday (March 9) - by myself, is that it’s not for them to decide what we will or will not deal with. We will instruct them as to what we intend to deal with and then they will do it." Bonwick made a similar attempt last fall to speed the process of ratifying the WIPO treaties - the terms of which would see Canada legislate on matters such as digital rights management, technological protection measures and other controversial elements. On Oct. 30, 2003 he introduced a measure that was unanimously supported by the committee to ask the departments of Canadian Heritage and Industry Canada to outline within a month how they would ratify the treaties. Then-minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps gave her support to the motion but her counterpart at Industry Canada Allan Rock stonewalled the committee with a non-committal letter (CNM, Nov. 7/03, CNM Update, Nov. 12/03). While disagreement between Industry and Heritage has slowed WIPO discussions in Canada, Bonwick sees changes in ministers at both departments as encouraging, as well as the replacement of former Prime Minister Jean Chretien by Paul Martin. "I don’t know that the relationship (between Heritage and Industry) is more strained. I think that the stress in that relationship is premised on the fact that the committee is insisting that this copyright review be brought forward in a very timely fashion - that the committee has spoken very clearly and quite harshly about the amount of time that’s gone by already. And Heritage is nodding its head and saying, ‘yes, we agree and we’d like to see it done’, and Industry has been saying ‘there are still some issues that we have to have resolved’. And so, you have sort of contradicting messaging there between two departments and with the outside pressure of the committee on both to move forward in as rapid a fashion as possible. I think that’s certainly lending to some of the strain in the relationship, but no more so has it created any more pressure on Industry and the committee because Industry wasn’t listening to the committee last fall." He adds: "I think the committee, by virtue of the fact that it supported that motion unanimously feels that the departments have had ample time to consult. And has consulted in a very extensive fashion. The reality is, now, it’s time for leadership. It’s time to make some decisions as to what specifically we are going to do and how that falls in line with our commitment seven years ago to become signatories to the WIPO treaty and, at some point in the future, to become ratifiers of said."

Bonwick talks tough on WIPO ratification

Broadcast | March 3, 2004

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