TORONTO: Canada’s book writers are outraged by the inclusion of a new provision for educational uses in Bill C-32. This new “fair dealing” for the purpose of education is a wholesale expropriation of writers’ rights and opens the door for the education sector to copy freely from books and other copyright material without paying writers.

“Writers are all for supporting schools and students,” says Alan Cumyn, incoming chair of The Writers’ Union of Canada, “and we’d be happy to give our work for free as long as teachers and professors also teach for free. But that’s not going to happen, nor should it.”

“We intend to push for changes to this bill. But if we are unsuccessful, we will consider litigation on behalf of writers for the loss of rights and income resulting from this serious removal of copyright protection,” says Cumyn, who points out that the proposed legislation violates Canada’s international treaty obligations.

The Writers’ Union of Canada has just concluded its annual general meeting in Ottawa, where 23 past chairs, including Graeme Gibson, Rudy Wiebe, Susan Swan and others, met with legislators on Parliament Hill to express their concerns about the proposed legislation. Members voted unanimously to launch a campaign to fight the extension of “fair dealing” to education.

The Writers' Union of Canada is the country’s national organization representing 2,000 professional authors across the country. Founded in 1973, the Union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada and protecting freedom of speech, as well as promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic wellbeing of all writers. For more information, please visit www.writersunion.ca.

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For additional information
Deborah Windsor, Executive Director
The Writers’ Union of Canada
416. 703.8982 Ext. 221
dwindsor@writersunion.ca