Brian Chau is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.
The Conservative majority government has placed a new copyright reform bill, “An Act to amend the Copyright Act” on the Notice Paper earlier today. This new bill is expected to be introduced tomorrow.
For those unfamiliar with parliamentary publications, the Notice Paper provides matters which may be raised for consideration by the House of Commons. Once the notice period has expired, items on the Notice Paper typically move on to the Order Paper (the agenda of items of business to be considered by the House).
Several reports (Winnipeg Free Press, Hollywood Reporter, CBC News) have commented on this development with the general expectation that the new bill will be substantially similar to the controversial Bill C-32. Bill C-32 passed the second reading in the Parliament, but fell as a result of the dissolution of the Canadian parliament during the Spring 2011 re-election.