Evidence of meeting #127 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Steven Blaney Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, CPC
I will continue on the issue of the substantial loss of revenue suffered by Canadian publishers.
You spoke very eloquently about this loss of revenue caused by what you called the “unintended consequences” of copyright reform.
More recently, you talked about a decision that disappointed you yesterday. Could you explain to the committee how we could remedy this situation which, as you said, is getting worse and worse? How does yesterday's decision prevent this situation from being corrected or resolved?
President, Association of Canadian Publishers
Thanks for the question.
To clarify, the information from yesterday is that solutions that we hoped to see in a government bill were not in the bill. The solution we're looking for is an increase in statutory damages. If copyright infringers know that they will face quick and reasonably severe penalties for infringement, they will be much more likely to avoid that and to enter into licences that cover off any grey areas. It's those licensing revenues that disappeared, and with that disappearance a large free zone for copying was created, which is very difficult to compete with. I can't compete with free.
Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, CPC
So you don't have the impression that there will be penalties for offenders. On that subject, rest assured that you can count on our cooperation.
I'll now turn to you, Ms. Jackson. Our committee is also doing a study on the repatriation of indigenous cultural property. First, I would like to know whether you have any art collections of works from indigenous communities. Since 1929, the Royal Bank has certainly had to purchase indigenous works for its collection.
Second, have any indigenous communities ever wanted to have these works back that you have in your possession?
Senior Art Curator, Curatorial Department, Royal Bank of Canada
I haven't had the experience of any interest in works being returned, but we have been collecting works since 1929 from communities across Canada and actively supporting Cape Dorset's work as well. There are many corporations that have reflected that as well outside of just RBC.
Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, CPC
So the Royal Bank has acquired several indigenous works for its collection. Could you tell us about that? There are paintings, and I think there are sculptures. What other indigenous cultural property is in your collection?
Senior Art Curator, Curatorial Department, Royal Bank of Canada
There have been sculptures. Definitely, in the 1950s and 1960s, there were a number of important Inuit sculptures that were acquired by my predecessor, Beverly Parker. Since then, we've continued to acquire sculpture, but also a lot of drawings, printings and works on paper.
Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, CPC
If I've understood correctly, nearly 90% of your collection is on display. Is that the case?
Senior Art Curator, Curatorial Department, Royal Bank of Canada
It's more than 90%; it's 98%.
Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, CPC
That's impressive.
Thank you.
Mr. Huffman, I'll now turn to you. Have you ever had artists say that they have sold a work, but that it is very important and that they would like to have it back?
Marketing Manager, West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, Dorset Fine Arts
Not at all. In fact, for most of our artists, this is a job for them. This is how they make their income. We're in the process of educating our artists, even at this late date in Cape Dorset's history, about how important their work is as cultural expression. They see it as employment, so often we have artists whose sole income comes from making art, whether it's carving, printmaking or drawing. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we give the artist a payment, and the artist buys groceries and diapers and pays the rent. We are now just trying to educate our artists in terms of how important what they do is.
Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, CPC
So what we're talking about here is the importance of contributing to the spread of Inuit culture and its influence, through an exchange where everyone wins. That's excellent, and I thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Edmonton Centre, Lib.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I have lots, and I have five minutes.
Here's a quick question. How do we best compensate artists when their work is resold? Are there any quick ideas on that, Glenn or Kate?
President, Association of Canadian Publishers
Well, we support the author's resale right. We think it's an important addition to the related rights to copyright.
Edmonton Centre, Lib.
Okay. I want to talk about corporations and philanthropists in this space. It's great. They were announcing all these literary prizes on CBC last week, and one of the disc jockeys, if you will, said that maybe we have too many prizes for the market we have. I think that's absurd, but here's what's perverse: having all these prizes from corporations and philanthropists, yet artists struggle to be discovered because we have fewer and fewer publishing houses.
Today, The Red Word by Sarah Henstra is the literary award winner for the Governor General's awards, and she struggled to get the book published because it deals with the really raw subject of sexual assault on a campus. There's the award-winning book for the Governor General's literary prize, and it almost didn't get published because we don't have enough publishers prepared to take a risk. That's an issue.
Glenn, my question is this. I understand that fair dealing has turned out to be not very fair at all. I won't use the word “betrayal”, but some of your colleagues have. What I did hear was a serious backsliding of the intent of the educational industry in this nature. What does this mean for what I would call not just specialized, but important regional content in the educational space?
I'm an openly gay, francophone MP from the west who also has indigenous heritage. I want to see those stories told. What does the lack of publishers mean, and what does this framework mean, for LGBTQ2, indigenous, francophone, regional perspectives in the west, in the Atlantic, or in the north? Are we just going to see the U.S. perspective, the European perspective, the Ontario-centric perspective? Am I going to learn awesome things about Quebec
but in western Canada
instead of learning from
the French-speaking community in western Canada?
President, Association of Canadian Publishers
The shortest answer I can give is that my previous company, Les Éditions Duval, or Duval House Publishing, in Edmonton, was a specialist publisher in French-language resources for schools outside of Quebec to support their constitutional right to education in French. It was Canada's largest publisher of indigenous-language resources and indigenous health resources. It's impossible to have a company like Les Éditions Duval in the current economic situation under the Copyright Act.
Edmonton Centre, Lib.
That is a real shame. As a francophone westerner and as somebody who is here in Parliament representing minority groups, I think that's a shame.
President, Association of Canadian Publishers
I agree. It's a heartache for me.
Edmonton Centre, Lib.
Where are the perspectives coming from, then? Are we getting educational materials from the U.S., from Europe, from Ontario? Who's able to publish in this world?
President, Association of Canadian Publishers
I have great sympathy for teachers. I think teachers will resource their classrooms by any means at their disposal. At the most expensive, educational resource purchasing was less than 1% of educational budgets before this change. The wholesale move to this copying regime has meant that teachers and their schools and systems are, more and more, looking to open-access resources that have to be supported by money from somewhere, or they're looking to resources cobbled together by teachers from whatever they can find from available sources, often digital sources.
Edmonton Centre, Lib.
Thank you.
We have this framework. If our side—and I mean us at Heritage—is not able to tilt the scales to more fairness and balance, is export an answer? And if that's the case, should we be supporting Canadian publishers to go to the Frankfurt Book Fair to sell their wares on the international market? Is that a role the Government of Canada can play?
