House of Commons photo

Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was tax.

Last in Parliament November 2014, as Independent MP for Peterborough (Ontario)

Won his last election, in 2011, with 50% of the vote.

taxarts and cultureliberalfactmoney

Statements in the House

Copyright Modernization Act May 15th, 2012

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to be joining the debate on Bill C-11, is a bill that I have worked on for some time. In fact, previous to this Parliament, I was parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, a position I quite enjoyed. I had the opportunity to work hand in hand with the minister and the Minister of Industry in the crafting of this bill.

This bill was undertaken with more consultation than any bill in history to the best of my knowledge. We had consultations in Canadian cities right across the country. In fact, there was even a consultation held in Peterborough, largely with members from outside of Peterborough, but folks from Peterborough were there as well. We had the opportunity to view some 8,000 online submissions for the bill as well. We undertook extensive consultations in consideration of this bill.

One of the comments by a witness who appeared before the committee that stands out for me was from the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, the hon. Perrin Beatty. As members know, the Chamber of Commerce has been calling on governments for more than a decade to update Canada's copyright laws and his quote really stood out for me. Perrin Beatty said to the committee,“Why throw out the good in pursuit of the perfect?”. That is what the opposition members would like. They would like a good bill thrown out because they know in their hearts there is no such thing as a perfect copyright bill. It does not exist.

Copyright law is about balance. It is about a balance between those who wish to purchase items and those who have created items. That is a relationship that will forever be changing and redefined. However, we establish the laws and boundaries that should dictate that relationship and we try to do so in a manner that is balanced and fair to all concerned.

However, that does not mean that all concerned will agree with every aspect of the bill but it does mean that we are striving to maintain a balance that respects everyone involved. That is what the government has worked to do. I am proud to say that the government is moving ahead with copyright modernization that addresses the challenges and opportunities of the Internet and other digital technologies and will bring Canada's copyright laws up to international standards.

We have a copyright law right now. We signed onto international treaties in 1997. The Liberal Party was in government then. I am sure members remember those dark days when the Liberal Party was in power and it would sign international treaties with no intention of actually fulfilling them. Well, it did that with the Copyright Act as well.

I hear a member of the NDP shouting across the aisle. I am going talk to the NDP House leader because he has spoken against that kind of action in this House and I commend him for his constant lobbying and efforts to bring a new level of decorum to this House. I will just make him aware that one of his members is not holding up to his own very high standards. I am sure we will get that looked after.

When it comes to our international obligations, we have taken them seriously. We want Canada to be inside the tent. We want to be with those nations that have stood up for copyright holders, creators and industries. We want to create those jobs. This bill is as much about economic stimulus as it is about anything else. It is as much about job creation as it is about protecting copyrighted materials.

With respect to the question from the member for Winnipeg North, I have been watching the debate on television and I have heard the question a number of times, not just from that member but from other members of his party and others. It has a very simple answer. When people purchase something, they purchase it for a specific purpose. The member keeps on talking about a CD and about format shifting something that is not permitted. Although one does not buy a legal right to format shift it, the member is making the argument that one should be allowed to format shift that piece of copyrighted material even though one did not pay for that right.

My colleague just used the example of a clothing store owner. It is like going to a clothing store, buying a pair socks and then going back and saying, “By the way, I have decided it was not socks that I needed. What I really wanted was shoes, so I am just going to take these, I am going to format shift from socks to shoes and I am not going to pay anything because it was all for my feet”. That is the argument that we are hearing.

Time and time again, we heard from professional witnesses who came in and extolled the virtues of this bill. Did we hear from others who had other opinions? Yes, we did. The NDP members had lots of support for what we called an iPod tax and they called a levy. They had lots of support for placing additional charges on consumer electronic devices. Of course the debate was not honest at the outset. They were saying that it would just be for MP3 players and that it would be a nominal fee even though they applied to the Copyright Board to charge a fee of up to $75 per device. At committee I told them that the technology had already passed them by with respect to those devices. I said that they were antiquated technologies.

On the new technologies, things like smart phones and car stereos, the NDP members initially scoffed and asked why they would want to put anything on car stereos. Well, I have a car outside that has 60 gigabytes of memory in it. It can actually store movies and music. However, I would never store music and movies while I am driving.

I oppose any kind of fee. The other problem with what the NDP members were proposing is that they were proposing a fee on devices like mine, a BlackBerry proudly made in Canada, great Canadian technology, but it would only go to one single medium, music. It would not go to photographers, or film creators or artists. It would only go to music.

This device that is capable of communication, emails, photos, movies, any kind of online activity as far as viewing and receiving information and may also be able to store music, but what the NDP members are proposing is a levy on that device just for music, that would only go to musicians, and consumers would have to pay even though they have already purchased the materials.

If I am buying a licence from, for example, iTunes and, with that, I receive a licence to make five additional copies, and this may also answer some of the questions that we have heard, I am buying an agreement that I can put that song on a device but also on up to four more devices. When people buy a licence from iTunes they are able to format shift that and store that on multiple devices.

The NDP and some of the other proponents made a proposal, which the Liberal Party was very strong on, as was former member, Pablo Rodriguez, and it was something that we voted against because we disagreed with it. Their proposal was to increase the price on devices and we disagreed on that. There were other areas where we did agree but this clearly was an area where we disagreed. That is why the hon. Perrin Beatty, who I referenced earlier, said that it would be silly to throw out a really good bill because we disagree with a certain aspect of it.

In the meantime, billions of dollars are being siphoned away from creators in this country, from the creative economy. Wealth destroyers, companies whose business it is to literally destroy the wealth of industries, are operating in this country illegally, pushing out pirated copies of music and movies and other things. This bill provides the tools needed to crack down on the wealth-destroying operations in this country. It is high time that we did it.

Graham Henderson of Music Canada came before our committee and gave a fantastic presentation. It was unfortunate that we had a procedural vote at the time but he spoke emphatically in support of this bill. The entertainment software industry emphatically supported this bill. The film industry said that a billion dollars a year were going missing that should be invested in jobs, movies, new creations and new products that Canada can be so proud of.

We need this bill, which is why I am proud to stand behind it and vote in favour of it tonight. It is time to end 15 years of debate on copyright legislation.

As spoken

Copyright Modernization Act May 14th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for speaking on behalf of a fantastic bill that modernizes the Copyright Act.

There was a question a minute ago about the economic impact of the bill. I just wanted to mention to the member that the film industry said that the cost of Canada's current copyright law is that more than $1 billion a year is being lost. The recording industry said that $900 million a year is being lost. Canada has the second largest entertainment software industry in the world. The entertainment software industry said it is costing hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The chamber of commerce spoke emphatically in support of this bill.

Has the member heard from the chambers of commerce in his riding? Has he heard from employers across the country? Are they ready to start hiring and investing when Canada updates its copyright laws? That is certainly what I have heard. I would like to hear what the gentleman has heard.

As spoken

Natural Resources May 11th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, I have been pleased to work with the member for Wetaskiwin since 2006 on building a stronger Canadian economy together. That is what the government is focused on. We do not work with one region, pitting one region against the other. We want to make all regions in the country as strong as we possibly can.

What I can say to the member from Alberta is that the value-added sector in Ontario is strong and is getting stronger, especially in oil and gas and natural resources. It is the number two economy in Ontario, and it is strong because the Alberta economy is strong and because the Saskatchewan economy is strong. The Ontario economy is getting stronger, as is the Quebec economy. I know 58,000 net new jobs--

As spoken

41st General Election May 9th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, several statements made by the member opposite are categorically false.

There is no connection between the IP address mentioned by the member and the Conservative Party of Canada, and she knows that full well.

We are working to assist Elections Canada in this matter. I wish the opposition parties would do the same.

As spoken

41st General Election May 8th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, those are outrageous statements that say a lot more about the member who made them than they say about anyone on this side of the House.

What I can say very clearly is that I can stand behind the ethical standards of this party, the people on these benches and the people who work hard on behalf of Canadians. Those allegations have nothing to do with the Conservative Party, and that person has not been a member of the party for many years.

As spoken

41st General Election May 8th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, they just keep going into the mud pit.

The allegations made by the member, first, have nothing to do with the operations of government, and second, have absolutely nothing to do with the Conservative Party of Canada. The individual that the member has referred to has absolutely no connection with the Conservative Party. He has not been a member for many years, and the member knows that full well. He should stop flinging mud.

As spoken

41st General Election May 8th, 2012

What I can say quite clearly, Mr. Speaker, and the member knows this full well, is that there is no evidence. In fact, the evidence is clear. The Conservative Party of Canada had absolutely nothing to do with this. Any computer IP address that the member is referring to has nothing to do with the Conservative Party of Canada.

As spoken

41st General Election May 8th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, I am not going to engage in a game of Clue with the member opposite, but perhaps he would like to get one.

What I can say quite clearly--

As spoken

41st General Election May 8th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, the simple answer is the member is absolutely incorrect in stating that any IP address, as indicated, is in any way located or connected to the Conservative Party of Canada. It is absolutely incorrect. I can state that emphatically.

What I can also say is that the member continues to do what the Chief Electoral Officer has suggested that he should not do. The Chief Electoral Officer said he found making sweeping allegations of wrongdoing without facts to support them to be troubling. That is all this member does.

As spoken

41st General Election May 7th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, the member's question gives me an opportunity to clarify once again what I said a few minutes ago.

The Conservative Party has been fully co-operative from the outset on this. I think the articles over the weekend indicated such. We are aware of concerns that have been raised in the local campaign involved, but we were also made aware of the deliberate attempt by the Liberal Party to mislead voters in Guelph and to hide the calls they made using a phony name and a phony number. All of this broke elections law. We found that out not because the Liberal Party came forward, but because it was brought forward.

As spoken