News and commentary

Notes for a presentation to the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce on Bill C-11

By Greg Fergus
Director of Public Affairs
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Mr. Chairman, thank you for inviting the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada to participate in this committee’s study of Bill C-11.

I am Greg Fergus, Director of Public Affairs of the Association, and I am accompanied today by Steve Wills, Manager of Government Relations and Legal Affairs.

The Association represents 95 public and private not-for-profit universities and university-degree level colleges across Canada.

Let me get straight to the point. AUCC supports Bill C-11 as a fair and reasonable balance between the rights of copyright owners and users of copyright works. Universities really appreciate the need for balance. Universities create intellectual property, universities use intellectual property, and universities sell intellectual property. Within universities you have faculty as researchers and teachers; students as learners; librarians; book sellers; and publishers. Our organization understands, keenly, the need for balance in the legislation.

This bill will update Canada’s copyright legislation and help to balance the needs of researchers, students and professors with those of creators. Universities, as both users and creators of copyrighted works, have worked hard for more than a decade to push for a new copyright act and see Bill C-11 as a very fair approach to competing interests.

Bill C-11 contains many of the changes the university community suggested during the federal government’s public consultation during the summer of 2009, including exceptions permitting the educational use of Internet materials and the recording and Internet transmission of lessons. These changes will facilitate online learning, including distance education, making university education more accessible for Aboriginal Canadians and mature students.

Bill C-11 will also permit university researchers to obtain and keep research materials in digital format. These and other changes to the copyright law will enable educational institutions to take advantage of new information and communications technologies for education and research in a highly competitive knowledge economy.

I want to stress that the Canadian university community – small and large, research oriented and undergraduate focused – in all regions of the country would like to see Bill C-11 passed as soon as possible.

I’d like to thank the committee for the opportunity to present these views before you, and I welcome any questions you might have.

OTTAWA – As the rich and diverse cultures of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples are celebrated today, National Aboriginal Day is also an appropriate time to reflect on the potential of young Aboriginal Canadians, and the role higher education can play in helping them achieve that potential.

“With a significant demographic shift already under way, we need to make sure all our young people are equipped for their role in a different kind of Canada,” says Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “We need to do a better job of preparing Canada’s future workforce – especially Aboriginal young people – to meet the challenges of an innovative and global economy and society.”

Aboriginal youth is the fastest-growing segment of the Canadian population. There are almost half a million Aboriginal people under the age of 20, yet their university attainment is just one-third the national average. The education gap in this country is large and growing. Canada’s universities are working with the Assembly of First Nations, Indspire Canada and others to help close the gap.

“Real change will come about when governments, Aboriginal communities and partners in education come together to make the investments and bold changes we know are needed to get meaningful results,” says Mr. Davidson. “The urgent need of today is to fully engage Aboriginal youth in the Canada of tomorrow. If we achieve that – and we must – we will address changing labour market needs, build prosperity and enhance quality of life for all Canadians.

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For more information or interview opportunities:

Helen Murphy
Communications Manager
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-1236 ext. 238

Ottawa – Canada’s universities applaud the passage of Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, in the House of Commons last night and urge speedy passage of this long-awaited legislation in the Senate.

“This bill will update Canada’s copyright legislation and help to balance the needs of researchers, students and professors with those of creators,” says Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “Universities, as both users and creators of copyrighted works, have worked hard for more than a decade to push for a new copyright act and see Bill C-11 as a very fair approach to competing interests.”

Bill C-11 contains many of the changes the university community suggested during the federal government’s public consultation during the summer of 2009, including exceptions permitting the educational use of Internet materials and the recording and Internet transmission of lessons. These changes will facilitate online learning, including distance education, making university education more accessible for Aboriginal Canadians and mature students.

“The university community also welcomes the certainty over copyright matters that this legislation provides,” said Mr. Davidson. “We will continue to monitor issues related to the use of copyright materials as this legislation is implemented and the government turns its attention to copyright needs in the future.”

Bill C-11 will also permit university researchers to obtain and keep research materials in digital format. These and other changes to the copyright law will enable educational institutions to take advantage of new information and communications technologies for education and research in a highly competitive knowledge economy.

Canada’s copyright laws were last updated in 1997 when the Internet was still in its infancy and paper copying was the primary method of sharing information.

AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities, representing 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

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Media Contact:

Helen Murphy
Communications Manager
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-1236 ext. 238
Cell. 613-608-8749

This op-ed was published in Embassy magazine on June 6, 2012.

By Paul Davidson
President
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Canada needs to get serious about Brazil. There are few places in the world today where the opportunities to build prosperity through partnerships and collaboration are as abundant and robust – but like all opportunities, this is a limited-time offer.

Calls for action in building stronger connections with Brazil grew again last week with the Senate committee report calling for the government of Canada to focus its relations with Brazil in areas such as education, science and technology. The report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade encourages a strategic role for the federal government, with education as a driving force in intensifying Canada-Brazil relations. Canada’s universities couldn’t agree more.

Strengthening partnerships with Brazil is a priority for Canada’s universities, as evidenced by this spring’s unprecedented international mission of university presidents, led by His Excellency the Rt. Hon. David Johnston. During visits to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Campinas and Brasilia from April 25 to May 2, close to 30 of Canada’s university presidents saw first-hand the tremendous opportunity to build strategic collaboration in research, innovation and higher education with Brazil.

The Governor General was instrumental in securing Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff’s commitment to send up to 12,000 Brazilian students to Canada over the next four years through her innovative Science without Borders program. In addition, Canada’s university presidents announced 75 new partnerships and scholarship programs to deepen Canada’s collaboration with Brazil.

Government, universities and industry all see the potential in this economic powerhouse. Now our challenge is to come together to create additional partnerships that will build prosperity in both countries.

Canada’s prospects for economic growth are dramatically enhanced when our strategic assets are leveraged effectively – no individual institution or sector acting on their own can fully realize their potential or maximize the benefits to Canadians. When it comes to the Brazil connection, collaboration is key.

Why Brazil? There is limited awareness amongst the broader public about the incredible opportunities that Brazil presents. This dynamic nation has emerged from the global economic downturn stronger than many of Canada’s traditional partners. Brazil is making important investments in research, innovation and education – including student mobility – to enhance its place in the world.

Brazil recently surpassed the United Kingdom to be the world’s sixth largest economy and is set to become the fifth in the coming years. Canada has more investment in Brazil than it has with India and China combined.

The education connection is critical. Strategic collaboration in higher education with countries such as Brazil leads to linkages in trade and diplomacy. Partnerships in higher education are fundamental to our competitiveness in a global economy.

In order to build such connections, Canada needs an ambitious and sustained international education strategy that is sector-driven and built on partnerships. The university community looks forward to the upcoming report of the federal government’s Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy, which was tasked with making recommendations for a strategy that will maximize economic opportunities in international education, including building our engagement with key markets.

This international education strategy can support Canada’s innovation, science and technology objectives. Canada has invested to create a dynamic research community and research infrastructure that is globally ready and globally engaged. Developing mechanisms to achieve international research collaboration at scale will require partnerships and commitment from government and the private sector.

Canada’s international education strategy will need to move from simply international student recruitment to developing sustainable funding for Canadian students to study, research, work and volunteer abroad. In virtually every meeting with Brazilian universities, we were asked how many Canadians would be coming to study in Brazil.

Brazil is investing in strategic international partnerships. In addition to the ambitious Science without Borders program that will see 100,000 Brazilians study around the world, this country is aggressively investing in research and innovation, including international research collaboration.

In Canada, too often we introduce pilot programs to test the waters, but fail to take them to scale, or worse, cut existing programs in an effort to meet deficit-reduction targets. This approach not only lacks ambition, but weakens our brand and prevents us from building momentum and competing on the global stage.

Many other countries are knocking on Brazil’s door. Canada made important progress in positioning itself as a partner of choice through last year’s visit of Prime Minister Harper to Brazil, the establishment of the Canada-Brazil CEO Forum, and the successful university presidents’ mission.

Now is the time to build on this momentum and mobilize significant resources in government, higher education and the private sector – working collaboratively – to realize the potential of the Canada-Brazil relationship.

Ottawa – Canada’s universities welcome recommendations that the government of Canada focus its relations with Brazil in areas such as education, science and technology. The recommendations were contained in a new report tabled yesterday by the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

“Strengthening partnerships with Brazil is a priority for Canada’s universities. This report encourages a strategic role for the federal government, with education seen as a driving force in intensifying Canada-Brazil relations,” says Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “During AUCC’s recent mission to Brazil, Canada’s university presidents saw first-hand the tremendous opportunities to build strategic collaboration in research, innovation and higher education with Brazil. This report speaks to those opportunities and ways in which government, universities and industry can work together to build partnerships for prosperity in both countries.”

Close to 30 university presidents travelled to Brazil from April 25 to May 2, meeting with leaders of Brazilian universities as well as partners in government and industry to share ideas and strategies for bilateral university collaboration. During the mission, 75 new partnerships, scholarships and student mobility programs were announced, worth $6.7 million.

Canadian universities are already responding to the Brazilian government’s new Science Without Borders scholarship program, by taking steps to attract top Brazilian students and researchers. Canada will welcome up to 12,000 of the 100,000 Brazilian scholarship recipients who will study and conduct research at the undergraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels.

AUCC applauds the Senate committee’s extensive work on this study and its recognition of the crucial role that education, science and technology must play in building meaningful partnerships with this economic powerhouse. “AUCC was pleased to share our university community’s insight and expertise with the committee during its consultations and is happy to see many of our recommendations and contributions reflected in the report,” says Mr. Davidson.

AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities, representing 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

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Intensifying Strategic Partnerships with the New Brazil, report by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade

For more information, contact:

Helen Murphy
Manager, Communications
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Tel. : 613-563-1236, ext. 238    
hmurphy@aucc.ca