moved for leave to introduce Bill C-337, an act to amend the Copyright Act (Minister).
Mr. Speaker, I am introducing a bill which would make the Minister of Canadian Heritage responsible for the application of the Copyright Act, except for the purposes of section 44.1 of that act.
This bill is in response to the almost unanimous request of copyright holders who, faced with the Minister of Industry's careless handling of the Copyright Board, are asking that responsibility for the board be turned over to the Department of Canadian Heritage. This request has been made repeatedly by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, known as SOCAM, as well as by the largest Canadian agency representing the cultural sector, the Canadian Conference of the Arts.
Accordingly, I am introducing this bill today.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)