Improved access to pediatric health care

Central Nova Report - I attended many Canada Day events from Westville, to Glasgow Square to Sherbrooke. The celebrations were spectacular, and the BBQs and festive atmosphere were enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.

I also had the opportunity to talk to many of you about your concerns that I will take back to Ottawa. One of the issues that came up was children's healthcare, something that your government is acting on.

We have invested almost $10 million in the second phase of a Canada-wide project to make sure children who need surgery get timely access to care. The IWK Health Centre, our regional children's hospital, is included now in this national project.

The project enables our hospitals to better manage pediatric wait-times across a range of surgical areas. The goal is to generate the kind of information that patients, families, health care providers and governments need to make informed decisions. The result: Improved access and reduced pediatric surgical wait-times.

Another topic brought to my attention over the weekend is Bill C-61, An Act to Amend the Copyright Act.

The government has proposed important amendments to the Copyright Act to bring it up-to-date with advances in technology. It has been 10-years since the last major reform of this legislation.

The changes would allow consumers to record webcasts, television programs, and radio shows to be enjoyed at a later time. It also makes allowances to transfer music on devices such as MP3 players. The amendments change fines for statutory damages to $500 for individuals if they infringe copyright for private use - not $20,000, which is the current fine for a single infringement.

Canadian educators and students stand to benefit from this reform that would allow greater use of material posted on the Internet, the legal delivery of course material through the Internet, and electronic delivery of materials loaned between libraries.

This is a Made-in-Canada approach that strikes a good balance. It promotes the protection of creators' rights, and access by students and researchers. It means consumers can enjoy everyday uses of copyright material. And it provides fairness and clarity for industries that operate in the digital environment.

Peter MacKay is MP for Central Nova, Minister of Defence and Minister responsible for ACOA