Evidence of meeting #106 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was content.
3:10 p.m.
Dr. H.E.A. (Eddy) Campbell
I don't have a solution for you here today.
Lesley, do you...?
3:10 p.m.
Dean, Librairies, University of New Brunswick
I'd be happy to add that I believe that there are grants through Canada's Council for the Arts, as well we can look at the public lending right and how that could potentially be expanded to an educational context, and look at regional publishers in particular that are always going to have a relatively small market in this international ecosystem we're part of now. I think there are a number of avenues for exploring the support of Canadian individual creators and the Canadian publishing industry that are definitely worth exploring. Those are just a few ideas. I think some of them are in play already and could benefit from increased support.
3:10 p.m.
Liberal
Frank Baylis Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Ms. Bulger, how would you see this, barring going back to fair dealing? Is there another avenue you see to support yourselves, the Canadian content creators?
3:10 p.m.
Co-owner, Nimbus Publishing
We haven't given that kind of detailed thought to it. I know you're going to hear from a group this afternoon that has a course-pack product that can work for Canadian publishers. Aside from having some sort of policy, I think it's all up to individuals, if they can find a way of doing the support. It's more work for people, really. Collective licensing is the easiest for us. It's the easiest for them. It's easiest for people, knowing that they're covered when they're copying or using copyrighted work.
3:15 p.m.
Communications Manager, Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers
Our position is that we believe that fair dealing is working. I understand that Ms. Bulger's position is that it's not. I don't have an answer, a solution.
3:15 p.m.
Liberal
Frank Baylis Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
You did state you want to support indigenous first nations and others.
3:15 p.m.
Communications Manager, Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers
Absolutely.
3:15 p.m.
Liberal
3:15 p.m.
Communications Manager, Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers
I don't know that we have—
3:15 p.m.
Liberal
Frank Baylis Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
If Mrs. Bulger is saying go back to the Access Copyright and now you're saying don't do that, do you have something else to suggest then?
3:15 p.m.
Communications Manager, Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers
I do not.
3:15 p.m.
University Librarian, Dalhousie University, Chair of the Board of Directors, Council of Atlantic University Libraries
I do. But first I just want to say the Canadian publisher data indicated that the Access Copyright royalty has declined only by 1%, and that was a published statistic.
There are better ways to support Canadian culture than fair dealing. The Canada book fund, the SSHRC aid to scholarly journals program, public lending rates for the libraries, transactional licences as we've already said, and things like Coalition Publi.ca, in partnership with Érudit, which is Canadian academic and small press journals, helping to fund those to move towards an open-access sustainable model, working with the government.
3:15 p.m.
Liberal
Frank Baylis Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
You mentioned an “open-access sustainable model”? Can you explain that?
3:15 p.m.
University Librarian, Dalhousie University, Chair of the Board of Directors, Council of Atlantic University Libraries
Yes. In Europe, they have a Europe 2020 program where they're committing to make many of their publications open access by 2020. The libraries work with the journal to create a sustainable open-access model, funding them largely to the same extent that we do now through a commercial subscription but with the commitment that they will make the journal open access so it's available not only to a closed academic community, but to society.
3:15 p.m.
Liberal
3:15 p.m.
University Librarian, Dalhousie University, Chair of the Board of Directors, Council of Atlantic University Libraries
Coalition Publi.ca is a Canadian project to do that with the journals that are currently published by Érudit, which is a Canadian publishing platform.
3:15 p.m.
NDP
Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The panel here has been terrific. It's good to get out of Ottawa to hear.... There are some common themes, but we get more specific testimony here.
One of the things I am interested in is positions with regard to the Copyright Board.
Ms. Stewart, we'll start with you. There's been discussion about it. I just want to get your perspective. Do you think—and I only have two minutes to go quickly across— it's functional or not in the current status? You don't have to get into the details, but that would be an interesting perspective, I think, and would be important for our deliberations.
3:15 p.m.
Board of Directors Liaison to the Copyright Committee and Director of Libraries and Educational Technology, Council of Atlantic University Libraries
Okay, I'll try to talk really fast.
In terms of the Copyright Board, I think there are areas for enhancement. Some of our other colleagues have said this in previous hearings, but a couple of areas that I would emphasize would be that the tariff should only apply prospectively, and if there is any retroactivity that it be limited to less than a year, and that it be in a tariff regime that remains optional, allowing educational institutions the independence to choose where they're investing their dollars where needed and most required for their learning community. Also, I think there should be the developing of regulations regarding transparency and appropriate regulation of those copyright collectives, which has been done in other jurisdictions.
3:15 p.m.
Communications Manager, Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers
We represent eight universities across Nova Scotia, and to be honest I haven't had that discussion with them so I can't answer that.
