Bill C-32 (40th Parliament, 3rd Session) Committee on Feb. 1st, 2011

[Reynolds Mastin]

The secondary liability provisions are critically important because they will go a long way in shutting down certain services that we know are currently being provided here in this country that shouldn't be. By virtue of this bill, we would be provided with the mechanism we need to shut them down. We would say that's actually one of the most critically important aspects of the bill.

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

Thank you.

There has been a lot of discussion today about the issue of fair dealing in education. Do you support that notion?

[Reynolds Mastin]

To be very blunt, our preference would be that we not further expand the fair dealing provision in that way. However, we also recognize that this may be a matter, along with other aspects of the bill, that will be a matter of compromise. If the compromise is to retain that new exemption, then the one thing we would request is that clear definitional parameters be placed around the word “education”, because, as has been said many times before, it means different things to different people. We don't want to litigate this endlessly in the courts.

[John Barrack]

Again, it's all about unintended consequences. If everything can be called an educational experience, then the exemption is meaningless.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

All right. Thank you very much. Thank you to our witnesses.

The meeting is adjourned.