If you didn’t do anything last week, you really need to do something now. Here’s what Geist posted yesterday:
There are rumours in Ottawa this evening that Industry Minister Jim Prentice has decided to forge ahead with the Canadian DMCA with the bill to be introduced tomorrow morning. There has obviously been a huge amount of coverage of this issue over the past 48 hours (Montreal Gazette, IT World, Heise Online (German), Billboard, Hollywood Reporter, Ottawa Citizen) along with the massive growth of the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group (almost 19,000 members with another Canadian joining every 30 seconds).
Given the short delay, it is unlikely that the bill has been altered in any fundamental way. Despite claims that Prentice was working to balance consumer interests, it would appear that he has decided that no further consultation with Canadians is needed. He has instead bowed to pressure from the U.S. and copyright lobby groups. As I argued yesterday, this is a missed opportunity. Rather than showing leadership by working for a Canadian-made solution, Prentice chosen a path that is likely to divide and lead to much protest from the tens of thousands of people who have made their views known over the past ten days.
Update: Further confirmation from multiple sources. Pressure from Washington and concern over the news coverage of the past two days, widely viewed as embarrassing to the Prentice, are viewed the primary reasons for the change of heart.
Track details and see protest options at the Copyright For Canadians site.
