Quebec Assembly sides with writers and demands major changes to proposed copyright bill

The National Assembly in Quebec has unanimously adopted a motion opposing key aspects of the federal proposal, Bill C-32, for the amendment of copyright, according to a release from the National Association of Book Publishers  of Quebec (ANEL). The text of the motion roughly reads (apologies for my translation):

"That the National Assembly recognizes the crucial role of content creators and the importance of IP [intellectual property] in the economic model of arts and culture in Quebec;
"It endorse the concerns of the arts, especially music and literary publishing, and asks the federal government to change the current Bill C-32 as it involves authors rights to assure Quebec creators of full recognition of their rights, adequate protection against illegal copying of their works, application of the principle of private copying, and therefore ensuring income to the value of their intellectual property. "

ANEL welcomed the motion, which aligns with its continuing criticism of the bill and its call for nothing less than major revisions before it is passed. If adopted as presented, it said, the bill would result in the loss of 3,000 jobs and $20 million in annual royalties to Quebec writers, thereby compromising their ability to create new works. 

This decision, with the Quebec assembly siding with the view of many writers may mean that the federal government will have no choice but to re-examine its options. 

[Thanks to Ken McGoogan]