Hot on the heels of the Oakville Townhall post, MP Wayne Marston (NDP) for Hamilton East - Stony Creek has replied to a message I sent via Copyright For Canadians. Here is his response:

Dear Mr. Elcomb,

Thank you for voicing your concerns about the copyright bill, C-61. For the last two years the NDP has been warning the government not to attempt to bring forward restrictive U.S.-style DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) legislation. We urged them to consult with stakeholders and develop legislation that would protect artists, innovators and consumers in the 21st century.

Unfortunately, the government has completely ignored calls to bring forward reasonable copyright legislation. In fact, this bill is worse than originally feared. There is no evidence of an attempt to strike any reasonable balance that would protect either artists or consumers. Instead, we are faced with a full capitulation to the U.S. corporate lobby that will pave the way for the criminalization of perfectly reasonable behaviour (like format shifting of most legally purchased content).

Across the country, people like you are coming together to oppose this legislation in online chatrooms, on facebook and in coffee shops. They are voicing their concerns with the legislation by writing elected officials, by posting comments on web-pages dedicated to the copyright discussion, and by writing letters-to-the-editor that call for a truly balanced approach. Thank you for being among them.

The NDP is strongly opposed to this bill and we are calling on MPs from other parties to listen to their constituents and join us in the growing chorus against it. We are pushing for legislation that will ensure that artists and creators are compensated for their work but that also ensures consumers are able to enjoy reasonable rights of access.

I would strongly encourage you to stay active in this fight by putting the heat on the Ministers of Industry and Heritage, the Prime Minister, and the leaders of the other opposition parties. Whether you call, write, email, or all of the above, your participation will be important to making our opposition to this bill impossible to ignore.

Thank you again for getting involved.

All the best,


Wayne Marston, MP
Hamilton East - Stoney Creek

Although this blog was intended to cover the development of Atomic OS T² ('Take Two') I'll also have some commentary on Canadian politics, law, privacy, and intellectual property.

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of joining MP Garth Turner, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, a number of other MP's from around southern Ontario, more than a thousand concerned citizens, City TV, and a panel of political bloggers at the Oakville Townhall.

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