All of this was germane to the government because the lobby group for the big pharmaceuticals had been pushing for an extension on their patent protections, promising, in return, to spend 10 per cent of Canadian sales on R&D in Canada. The Industry Canada policy officers note that: "... after peaking in 1997 at 12.9% [of sales], [Big Pharma spending on R&D] has declined to 8.5% in 2006. The dollar value of their R&D has been flat at about $1.2 billion while sales have continued to grow. However, it is important to note that this percentage does not include the S1.5 billion of biotechnology R&D in Canada undertaken by companies who do not yet have a patented product on the market."

One of the issues that politicians will grapple with, as they balance the rights of content creators against those of content users is the concept of fair dealing when it comes to satire and parody. The Copyright Act says exempts research or private study, criticism or review, news reporting as "fair dealing" but does not specifically say you can use copyrighted content in satire or parody.I recently received a document, retrieved under Canada's Access to Information laws, that looks at that issue. The document is a briefing note, prepared by Associate Deputy Minister Paul Booth (last seen leading the auto restructuring file for the federal government) for then-Minister Jim Prentice. It's two pages long but here's an even briefer summary...

"The three books spurring the complaint are all published this year: The Anal Sex Position Guide, which features a picture of a couple apparently in the act on the cover; The Going Down Guide; and The Sex Instruction Manual.

The city's chief librarian noted that books on sex are "very popular" with borrowers in Ottawa."

This is not a zero-sum game between MSM and non-MSM information sources. The more the merrier. Democracy is well served by having all of it. And, in fact, as others smarter than me have argued, weakening either the MSM or the ability of anyone to blog, tweet, or what have you, would weaken democracy. We need both, not one or the other. So how about this? Isn't it kind of pointless to keep arguing if the MSM or bloggers are better/less biased/more fun/valuable? Who cares? We're all here and we're all staying. Move along, already!

How much we as a country choose to spend on culture and what we define as culture gets almost no serious discussion at election time. In 2008, of course, the Conservatives took a major hit in Quebec because of the perception that whatever was being spent, the Conservatives were determined to spend less. But there was no real discussion, particularly between the two major parties, about the arts in Canada, why they're important, and what the priorities were for each party when it came to cultural spending. True enough: In 2008, with a recession just getting underway, the economy was the unavoidably dominant theme. But for next time, perhaps we can have a national discussion about the arts, armed with some clear facts about the numbers involved and some clear answers about what $4 billion on "culture" means and how that culture is to be fostered by each party.

Gordon was the naval officer who was my press liason during my trip to Gitmo and it was evident to me that he had a good professional relationship with other Canadian reporters who regularly attended there, like the Star's Michelle Shephard. In my weekend at Gitmo, I perceived no tension between Gordon and Rosenberg. And I don't feel I'm breaking any confidences when I say that when it was just us reporters gossiping in the media room, I didn't a hear a word from Rosenberg or anyone else for that matter about Gordon, bad or good. We just pretty much kept our heads down trying to file on deadline. I can also say that there are reporters at Canwest News Service who know Rosenberg and who have worked with her before and these reporters, whom I trust, say Rosenberg is a good egg.

So I, for one, will be interested to see how this complaint plays out.

... the CIBC's economists conclude that Canada's reputation as a fiscally prudent nation, built up by the governments of Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, and Stephen Harper, is likely to survive the recession, the recovery, and the PBO:

Say what you want about its products, but as an investment, there's been few better than Microsoft Corp. And since it went public in 1986, it has seen its revenue grow every year -- until now. Meanwhile, Apple Computer this week reported that, for the nine months which ended on June 27, its revenue was $27-billion, up 8.5 per cent over the same period last year..

Here's the government of Canada giving $270,000 to the Calgary Folk Festival, funding that came out of the Marquee Tourism Events Program and the Calgary MP who happens to be Minister of State for Tourism, Diane Ablonczy, is nowhere to be found. Instead, it's Ontario MP and Industry Minister (and heavy metal fan, I might add) who is handing out the cash.

James J. Jackson, a specialist in international trade and finance with the U.S. Congressional Research Service, takes a close look at Canada's system of financial regulation with an eye towards adopting some new policy recommendations for the United States. "Canada’s financial system, in particular is garnering attention, because it seems to be more resistant to the failures and bailouts that have marked banks in the United States and Europe. In particular, some observers are assessing the merits of the way Canada supervises and regulates its banks, as one possible model for the United States," Jackson writes.