Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute

Shastri News - October 2009

Will Canadian copyright reforms spell bad news for distance education between India and Canada?

Athabasca University President, Frits Pannekoek, released an open letter to students late August encouraging them to speak out against potential reforms to Canada’s copyright legislation. Last year, Bill C-61 was introduced into Parliament to reform copyright legislation, but was rejected after tens of thousands of Canadian citizens wrote to their Members of Parliament complaining. In response, the government has launched an “Ask Canada” project welcoming feedback from the Canadian people on how we ought to modernize copyright legislation. Pannekoek wants students to speak out to ensure that new reforms do not inhibit Canada’s ability to engage in distance education.

“This legislation could well end our ability to contribute to building Canadian and overseas learning communities. Countries with wiser copyright regimes that promote educational use will catapult ahead of Canada. No longer will we be internationally competitive because of the restrictions contained in the legislation. We need to seek balance between the protection of rights, the rights of learners, and our international competitiveness in distance and e-learning.” ~Frits Pannekoek

Evelyn Ellerman , a professor at Athabasca University, has been partnering with Dr. V. Bharathi Harishankar of the University of Madras for many years on joint course materials for distance education courses. She admits that the possible reintroduction of Bill C-61 is “a real concern.” Ellerman and Harishankar are trying to be exceptionally cautious with their current projects and are hoping that all their work will not be in vain.

When asked her thoughts on the potential changes to legislation, however, Dr. Ellerman states that her primary concerns are for the students whom she feels will be hurt the most:

Imagine a student beginning a four year degree, in which older course materials are continually disappearing as the student moves through the degree. What would the student have to refer to? Imagine our future doctors, lawyers, biologists, nurses, chemists, and historians being unable to refer back to the information in their previous courses!

Bill C61 would not only make teaching and learning by distance unsustainable, it would make research impossible. If libraries are meant to limit access to electronic resources to five days, the whole move to digital libraries becomes meaningless. ~Dr. Ellerman

The Department of Canadian Heritage, responsible for copyright legislation, ended its open consultations with the Canadian public on September 13, 2009. In response to the concerns raised by Frits Pannekoek, spokesperson Charles Drouin states, “We want to ensure that Canada’s copyright laws are forward-looking and flexible, and that they foster creativity, innovation, and economic growth. We are reviewing the over 8000 submissions we received, including the one from Mr. Pannekoek. We are also aware of the concerns expressed by many students of the Athabasca University and Canadians interested in e-learning and distance education.”

Government representatives will not be making a statement about new legislation until they have had a chance to review all of the feedback from the “Ask Canada” consultations.

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