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HERI Committee News Release

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Coats-of-Arms


STANDING COMMITTEE
ON CANADIAN HERITAGE


NEWS RELEASE


COMMITTEE CALLS FOR NEW INITIATIVES AND COLLABORATION FOR A STRONGER BOOK INDUSTRY

For Immediate Release

Ottawa, 15 June 2000 - Today, in a major report presented to the House of Commons, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage proposes new initiatives and measures that would strengthen all segments of the Canadian book industry.

Committee Chair Clifford Lincoln, M.P. (Lac-St-Louis) stated that the report entitled: The Challenge of Change: A Consideration of the Canadian Book Industry, "makes recommendations designed to address the mix of domestic and international forces – in large part tied to technological and economic change – that are imposing new pressures on the structure and organization of the way books are produced, manufactured, distributed and sold in Canada."

Over a seven-month period, the Committee heard from 60 witnesses and received over 50 briefs. The Committee’s focus was on key shifts in book industry practices witnessed in recent years and their impacts on the creation, promotion, distribution and availability of Canadian-authored works.

The report makes 26 recommendations. Key recommendations include:

  • A data collection and sharing strategy that allows for the timely collection of book industry statistics (Rec. 2.1)
  • The creation of a permanent inter-departmental mechanism with Industry Canada to ensure that the Competition Bureau is made aware in a timely manner of negative trends affecting the creation, production, distribution or sales of Canadian authored books. (Rec. 3.1)
  • Appropriate measures to ensure that amendments to the Copyright Act keep pace with technological change. (Rec. 4.6)
  • Programs for reading that addresses the importance of literacy and lifelong learning in a knowledge-based economy. (Rec. 5.5)
  • A five-year technological transition program intended to strengthen all segments of the Canadian book industry. (Rec. 6.1)
  • The creation of an industry wide forum for Canadian book industry stakeholders to deal with industry issues. (Rec. 6.2)

"We recognise that a great wave of change is upon us," Mr. Lincoln concluded, "and unless we act speedily many of the cultural gains from the last 30 years of government support to Canada’s book industry will rapidly disappear."

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Members of the Committee: Clifford Lincoln, Chair, M.P., for Lac-Saint-Louis; Mauril Bélanger, M.P., for Ottawa -- Vanier; Cliff Breitkreuz, M.P., for Yellowhead; Paul Bonwick, M.P., for Simcoe—Grey; Sarmite Bulte, M.P., for Parkdale--High Park; Irwin Cotler, M.P., for Mount Royal; Pierre de Savoye, M.P., for Portneuf; Wendy Lill, M.P., for Darmouth; Rick Limoges, M.P., for Windsor -- St. Clair; Eric Lowther, M.P., for Calgary Centre; Inky Mark, Vice-Chair, M.P., for Dauphin--Swan River; Dennis Mills, Vice-Chair, M.P., for Broadview--Greenwood; Mark Muise, M.P., for West Nova; Alex Shepherd, M.P., for Durham; Caroline St-Hilaire, M.P., for Longueil; Bryon Wilfert, M.P., for Oak Ridges.

For further information, please contact:

Normand Radford, Clerk of the Committee
180 Wellington Street, Room 640
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Tel.: (613) 996-0506; Fax: (613) 947-9670
E-Mail: heri@parl.gc.ca

Clifford Lincoln, M.P. for Lac-St-Louis
Chairman of the Committee
Room 130, Confederation Building
House of Commons