Bill C-11 committee  No, you are not paid for writing it. You will only see an income if your work is used. Some publishers will pay an advance to a songwriter, if there is a publisher in the business plan. The publisher may pay an advance on royalties that may be collected if the song is a money-maker.

Bill C-11 committee  In the same way, if Mr. Bieber does commercials for Coca-Cola or if he is able to sell out his shows for $100,000 in huge arenas, it changes nothing for the songwriter. The singer gets the money at that point.

Bill C-11 committee  Getting back to Mr. McColeman's concern, we are in favour of prosperity for everyone; we simply want to participate in it. The rules that are in place ensure that all those whose works are involved in generating this prosperity get their share. The Copyright Board studies the value of everyone's contribution, establishes a right, and each party is invited to defend his point of view.

Bill C-11 committee  I don't have the answer to your question.

Bill C-11 committee  Yes, I know all the work that was…

Bill C-11 committee  Do you know about it?

Bill C-11 committee  I think that the new technologies make a lot of people a lot of money, including creators and producers and anyone who profits from the use that consumers make of the new technologies. In this case before us, the consumer continues to pay to have access to the material. The consumer pays money to buy a song directly in the store in the same way as he does to obtain a file.

Bill C-11 committee  The bill also include exceptions for education. That makes it impossible for me to refrain from asking the question: what favour are we doing for our educational institutions by removing the value from intellectual property? Do we ask a plumber or a computer expert to work for free when they are working for a school?

Bill C-11 committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Distinguished committee members, SPACQ thanks you for this invitation to take part in the work of updating the Copyright Act. My name is Mario Chenart. I am a singer-songwriter and president of the board of SPACQ, the professional association that has represented the interests of Quebec and French-Canadian songwriters for more than 30 years.

Bill C-11 committee  We share the objective that you have set for yourselves, that of modernizing the Copyright Act. Though our humble submission certainly comes from the heart, it also comes from sober consideration. Royalty payments are a source of independent income for creative artists. Like the values that the government espouses, we see them as a right, based on respect for private property and the simple principle of user pay, whether the user is an individual consumer, a business or an institution.

Bill C-11 committee  That is entirely correct. We can add to that information the fact that not all those increases are due to the same rights. In 1997, Canada recognized rights that did not exist here but had existed in 40 countries since 1961: neighbouring rights. That right exists and has a value.

Bill C-11 committee  There are some who are producers.

Bill C-11 committee  Very simply, Culture Équitable has addressed this issue. The petition has been widely circulated in social networks and through many other such avenues. Many rights holders and people who are active generally in the arts, and in particular in the music industry, have simply said to the government: "Do not reduce the scope of copyright".

Bill C-11 committee  I do not know where the information you are telling me, that consumers are not open to this, is coming from. When the government itself is campaigning against that position, that takes up a lot of air time, and of course it becomes difficult. In terms of the money circulating, I could not resist the temptation of reminding our colleagues that there are in fact reciprocal payments.

Bill C-11 committee  Thank you.