NDP fighting for Internet freedoms

Conservatives can’t be trusted to protect online freedom of expression

The NDP will not be bound by a Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that re-writes Canada’s copyright laws against the interests of Canadians.

“Stephen Harper has no mandate, just two weeks before an election, to agree to fundamental changes to Canadian law that could lead to increased Internet use monitoring and content censorship.” said Mira Oreck (Vancouver Granville). “Serious concerns have been raised about changes to digital policies that sacrifice the online freedoms of Canadians while putting power in the hands of the corporate lobbyists at the table.”

The restrictions on Internet freedoms under TPP could be as serious as tougher criminal penalties for small scale alleged copyright infractions, like uploading a home video with a popular song playing on it.

“We don’t accept that internet service providers could be obliged to block websites or take people offline based on decisions made in other countries,” said Oreck. “An NDP government will stand up for Canadians and ensure that a final TPP does not undermine Canadian laws, threaten Internet freedoms, or do unnecessary harm to Canadian industry.”