Consultation Canadian Style

The Canadian government preens itself on being open and accessible. In this spirit it has convened a number of townhalls throughout Canada to "listen" to what the public has to say about changes to copyright law (changes the big corporations want, not changes that the public wants).

When these meetings appear to actually spark public interest with the possibility that a number of citizens will attend and provide opinions that the government/corporations don't want to hear, then they muzzle them. Here's an example from a post by Michael Geist:

The Canadian Federation of Students has issued a press release disclosing a disturbing incident just prior to last night's townhall in Toronto. CFS says that students attempted to distribute a flyer outlining the organization's position on fair copyright outside the townhall. The students involved were approached by private security guards who threatened to remove them from the hotel if they continued to do so. The CFS decided to distribute the flyers specifically because of the limited number of speaking slots and the fear that they would not be called upon to speak (they were not). It is hard to understand how distributing relevant materials outside a public, government-run townhall is viewed as grounds for ejection. As the chair of CFS-Ontario notes, "it is ironic that while students are concerned that new legislation may allow copyright owners to lock up information, the government is locking up its own consultations."

Update: NDP MP Olivia Chow reports that she faced the same threats when she tried to distribute documents outlining Charlie Angus' position on copyright.

The Canadian government under the Conservatives believes in a Potemkin village style of public consultation. Lots of fanfare, save the seats for the big corporate interests, and if any real people show up gag them and hustle them quickly out the back door. (At least they don't yet have the police beat them in the back alley and throw them in jail while throwing away the key. We can thank the heavens for the gentle soul of Stephen Harper who feels those measures are not yet needed to "manage" the on-going public "consultation".)

Here is a Michael Geist post talking about the initiation of the "consultation" and the strange preference the government has for A-list attendees:

There has been some criticism over the past week about perceived "A" lists for those invited to roundtables and those excluded. My view is that the only list that really matters is the list of people who take the time to make a public submission. That process is open to everyone and this is the ideal opportunity to ensure that Canadians voices are heard.

You can see public submissions at the government web site here. Read through these and draw your own conclusions about where the public stands on the proposed changes to copyright law.