In December 2017, the House of Commons entrusted its Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology with the statutory review of the Copyright Act. The importance of this Act is unquestionable: as the Honourable Navdeep Bains and the Honourable Mélanie Joly said in their letter to the Committee, while “often underappreciated, the Copyright Act impacts Canadians every day, shaping what we see and hear, and enhancing our systems for the creation and use of content.” The Ministers also emphasized that, given the wide range of industries and activities it affects, the Act and its application are notoriously complex. It was clear to the members of the Committee that reviewing the Act would be no easy task.

To manage the complexity of the task at hand, the Committee elected to conduct, as its members called it, a “living and grounded” review of the Act. The review would thus progress from the ground up, allowing witnesses to set its agenda by raising the issues that concerned them while remaining flexible enough to accommodate evolving interests and concerns. The Committee began by hearing witnesses representing specific industries and sectors of activity, moved gradually to witnesses involved in multiple industries and sectors of activities, such as interest groups and Indigenous witnesses, and concluded the review with academics and legal experts who could speak broadly about the Act and comment previous testimony. For over a year, the review was this Committee’s main endeavour.

As Chair, my main concern was to make sure that the review would be informed by as many different perspectives as possible. Committee members were encouraged to ask all manner of questions to better understand the impact copyright law has on Canada’s modern economy and Canadian creators, even though such questions often led to difficult discussions. We did not presume what the outcome of this lengthy and complex undertaking would bring, only that the Committee would give anyone the opportunity to present oral or written evidence. I am honoured to have witnessed such an important and thoughtful conversation.

This report is the culmination of hundreds of oral and written testimonies, to which the Committee responds with observations and recommendations. I thank all the members who sat on the Committee during its public hearings and contributed to its deliberations, as well as the dedicated individuals who tirelessly supported their work. Most of all, I am grateful to all who took the time and the resources to provide testimony on such an important matter.