Many who work in libraries and education have expressed concern over Bill C-61, which was announced earlier this year and then "died" when Parliament was dissolved. Although intended to update Canadian copyright law particularly by incorporating provisions for digital technologies, critics have pointed out that it the bill would go too far in penalizing Canadians for downloading and copying - in fact,Liberal industry critic Scott Brison warned that it smacked of "police state" tactics. 

Librarians are especially worried that the bill's proposals for digital locks will make interlibrary loan services extraordinarily difficult and penalize patrons with perceptual difficulties.

To learn more about these and other problems with the bill,visit the CLA website to view their analysis of Bill C-61.

While the bill as written is no longer pending in Parliament, should the Conservatives gain another minority or a majority, they are certain to reintroduce the bill. Therefore, the upcoming federal election presents an opportunity to ask questions and raise awarenes with politicians about the important copyright concerns facing libraries and other cultural institutions, so that a more appropriate bill can be submitted in the next session. 

To help library advocates on this issue, theCLA has prepared an elections kit with suggestions for questions to ask and ways to contact local politicians.

For more information, check outCLA's Copyright resources page.