Tories on C-32 legislative committee looking for ‘intense’ work schedule

MPs on the new legislative committee on Bill C-32 are already disagreeing about how much the committee can accomplish before the Christmas break. The Conservatives say it’s possible to conduct an intensive study of the bill, make any necessary amendments and report it back to the House before Christmas. The House of Commons agreed to the membership of the new committee Thursday. Following the announcement, House Speaker Peter Milliken selected Conservative MP Gordon Brown as chair. Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro, the parliamentary secretary to Heritage Minister James Moore, said in an interview it is possible to report the bill to the House before the break. “I’d like to meet as much as possible and I’ll clear my schedule to make that possible. I hope that the opposition members will join us on that,” he said. “It might be ambitious, but I think it’s entirely achievable to dig in, meet that challenge, and accomplish it.” But NDP MP Charlie Angus, a member of the legislative committee, said in an interview he won’t succumb to pressure to “ram this through” without adequate study. “We’re going to do this properly. We’re going to have a proper witness list,” he said. “This is a major overhaul of copyright. This is not something you do on the fly.” But Angus said he will consider proposals for intensive work schedules, adding that the committee should focus on the language in the bill. “Does it work or does it not? Is there amending language that’s needed to cover any unintended consequences?” he said. “This isn’t rewriting the bill at this point, but it’s making sure that we come up with the best solutions. There’s going to be some wins and some people feeling they didn’t get what they wanted. Welcome to copyright.” The committee will have four weeks between Tuesday, when it is scheduled to meet for the first time, and Dec. 17, when the House of Commons is expected to break for Christmas—but MPs could agree to have the committee sit beyond the House schedule. Sources say some committee members are considering an intense work schedule of 15 hours per week, but Bloc Québécois MP and heritage critic Carole Lavallée, a member of the committee, said the 15-hour-per-week schedule is “just a rumour.” Lavallée said she wants the committee to meet twice per week like other House committees. “We must do this work right. There are many organizations, artists, and people who want to come as witnesses to the committee. There will be many submissions. It’s a bill that’s very complex and several dozen pages,” Lavallée said. “I don’t want it to be rushed.” Copyright stakeholders will be lining up before the committee to appear as witnesses and propose amendments. Opposition parties will also propose amendments to the bill. The governing Conservatives, who introduced the legislation, are expected to try to protect its existing provisions; however there may be concessions or government-sponsored amendments. Amendments to the bill will be made by majority votes at the committee, in which case the three opposition parties, voting together, could overpower the government. But it is more likely the Tories will strike an agreement in principle with one of the opposition parties to avoid that situation. The Conservatives need the support of at least one other party to win votes at the committee. Del Mastro said most of the positions of the copyright stakeholders are known and he will be looking to witnesses for specific amendments to the legislation. “They should be very specific in what they would like to see,” he said. “The reality is everyone that will be making a petition before the committee got something out of Bill C-32.” He added: “The bill is a necessary balance between interests, and any necessary changes that we contemplate to the bill could in fact impact that balance. All members of the committee, I think, will be very mindful of that.” Del Mastro said he can’t be sure that 15 hours per week will be the suggested work schedule, but said he will tell other committee members that he’s prepared to work as many hours per week as necessary. “If that means more than 15 hours per week, I’m happy to do that. Whatever we can agree to,” he said. Talk of the committee’s work schedule has emerged because some observers speculate that a spring election could kill the legislation. Previous attempts at copyright reform, bills C-60 and C-61, died on the order paper due to elections. Industry Minister Tony Clement said in a brief interview on Parliament Hill Thursday he would support an intense work schedule. “We would like that,” he said when asked whether the government supports completing the legislative committee’s work before Christmas. “It could be intense. There are a lot of people who want to be heard before the committee. It’s up to the committee to decide what their schedule is. It’s not up to me, but of course I’d be very encouraging of longer hours and the ability for more people to be heard.” Clement added that significant copyright consultations have already taken place. “There’s been a lot of talk. Let’s actually get to a bill that’s going to pass Parliament,” he said. sdoyle@thewirereport.ca

Tories on C-32 legislative committee looking for ‘intense’ work schedule

News | 11/19/2010 10:24 pm EST

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