Ladies and gentlemen, the NDP is committed to protecting the rights of creators. Our party does not want the integrity of moral rights to be affected by the proposed clause 22. The integrity of the work or of copyright is not targeted by this amendment. Having said that, it makes sense for moral rights to remain full and inalienable.
Earlier this year, we saw the perfect example of how moral rights were used and protected during the Republican nomination campaign in the United States, where works are often used for partisan gatherings. The Canadian artist K'Naan refused to let Mitt Romney use his song during a Republican gathering in Florida. It is his right not to want his song to be associated with a right-wing party. I wouldn't want any of my songs to be associated with the Conservatives. The idea was that K'Naan's work was being used for a cause that he thought would taint his reputation, and he won.
Some witnesses also mentioned extreme cases, such as the use of hard rock songs on pro-Nazi Internet sites. Once again, it is completely understandable that our artists and creators don't want to be associated with those types of activities. That is why the protection of moral rights has to be guaranteed by this amendment. It is important that moral rights remain full. It is crucial to protect our creators who do not want their works to be associated with a cause or with people they loathe. Creators' fears are well-founded. The many examples mentioned prove it.
We believe that the amendment that we are introducing can clarify the situation. This amendment provides more certainty to our artists. It enables creators to protect themselves against that type of abuse by stakeholders, political parties and movements. The amendment clarifies the inalienable nature of moral rights. It enables the young and the not so young to communicate through new social networks, while ensuring that the integrity of artists' works is maintained. Those things are important for our young people who like to create mashups from protected works.