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Canada's Conference Board Found Plagiarizing Copyright Report
An anonymous reader writes "There is a storm
brewing in Canada as the prestigious Conference Board of Canada has
been caught
plagiarizing US copyright lobby group documents in a report on copyright
reform. The report was funded by the Canadian copyright lobby as
well as by the Ontario government. The Conference Board has acknowledged
some errors, but stands by the report, while the Ontario government admits
spending thousands of dollars and it now wants some answers."
As a Canadian, my first reaction to reading this story on /. was "what is the prestigious Conference Board of Canada?" I mean, I know what the "Ontario government" is and the "US copyright lobby" and "Canadian copyright lobby" are self-explanatory terms, but I'm not familiar with the Conference Board of Canada. When I read it here, I thought maybe it was an agency of the federal government.
Anyway, I little digging turns up that the Conference Board of Canada is basically a non-profit think-tank, that is funded on a per-service basis. So private groups and governments will pay it to research a topic and publish a paper on it. It also holds conferences and does research reports on its own. According to their official website, their areas of expertise are "running conferences", "conducting, publishing, and disseminating research", "economic trends", and "public policy issues". It is affiliated, but legally separate from, the U.S./international "The Conference Board, Inc. of New York".
They state: "Objective and non-partisan. We do not lobby for specific interests."
Atheism is a religion to the same extent that not collecting stamps is a hobby.
That's redundant. Canadian's ARE American's. They just aren't US American's
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
The summary is incorrect in that at this time, the Ontario Government has yet to seek answers into how the funds it provided were used. The questions posed are by Michael Geist as to what the Minister responsible should be asking.
Michael Geist writes: Update (5:15): Brian Jackson of IT Business reports that the Minister's office acknowledges spending $15,000 on the report. It plans to follow up on the issues raised in my post.
davecb@spamcop.net
Hockey is our national sport.
Actually, it's Lacrosse.
Contrary to popular Canadian belief....no Canadians were ever involved in the attack on Washington. The members of that attack were all from the British Isles. Stop believing this crap, and we'll stop saying you eat whale blubber and live in igloos all year round.
Semantics. Obviously since Canada didn't exist as an independent country until 1867 and the White House burned in 1814, Canada as it is now could not have been involved.
However, if you think there were no people involved that were born on what is now Canadian soil, then you are mistaken. Yes, it was British soldiers simply because Upper and Lower Canada were British colonies, and not all were sent from Britain itself.
Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.
Additional information has come to light since the original posting. Some interesting blog posts from:
> 1. No, you can't deduct the mortgage interest
> on your home.
That wouldn't have anything to do with the massive housing crisis would it? Perhaps people overextending themselves on mortgages, drunk on cheap credit and tax deductible interest.
No...no...I suppose it wouldn't.
> No, you don't have the right to free speech
This is patently untrue. It's explicitly enshrined in the charter of rights and freedoms. Section 2b.
> bare arms
You have the right to bare arms, it's just not recommended in December or January.
You also have the right to bare your breasts in public, should you choose to do so:
http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/article/112115
If what you meant was "bear arms" you have those rights as well, but there are restrictions. There are restrictions in the United States as well, ours are just more reasonable (unless you consider private ownership of automatic weapons whose sole purpose is the killing of human beings a "right" in which case, I'm kind of glad you're there and I'm here.)
> 4. No, you don't have title to your home in
> Ontario, we maintain a record of your tenancy
> in our government database. You car either.
Also patently untrue, though there are exceptions when houses are built on public lands. You have title to your house.
I do with our constitution more firmly enshrined property rights, but our courts have upheld them well.
As for your car..you have title. Just because you have to register it (and provide proof of insurance) doesn't mean you don't have title. Vehicles are registered in states as well..or do you think those licence plates get handed out on the street at random?
> 5. No, you can't spend your money to save your
> life. Get in line for "free" health care.
People always cite this without the flipside: hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt because you were hit by an uninsured driver? Because you were born with a genetic heart defect?
Our system isn't perfect, but healthcare is a right not a privilege for those who can afford it.
I'll take our system over yours, though I'll work to improve it.
Free healthcare is a myth anyway: most provinces charge a monthly fee, waived for low incomes. In BC it's $52/month.
So no flamebait. If you like it where you are, by all means stay. It's your choice.
I've made mine.