Ottawa, May 25, 2010 - The Canadian Chamber of Commerce welcomed the introduction today of Bill C-28, Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act (FISA). This bill replaces the government’s Electronic Commerce Protection Act that did not pass the last session of Parliament.

“Canadian businesses have worked closely with the government to recommend introducing a bill that deals with unwanted spam and other related online threats for some time now. I’m pleased that we were able to work together to get legislation presented that protects both businesses and consumers,” said Canadian Chamber President and CEO Perrin Beatty.

Making the online environment safer for Canadians and Canadian businesses has been a priority for the Canadian Chamber. At the 2007 Annual General Meeting, local chambers and boards of trade from across the country voted to press the government to take action to protect consumers and business from spam.

“It’s positive to see the government tackle spam as part of their larger Digital Economy Strategy for Canada,” Beatty added. “This is an important step forward. Today’s move will help with reducing the unwanted and unsolicited emails that clog up e-mail systems, cost productivity, violate privacy, and often promote fraud,” Beatty noted.

Spam is unsolicited electronic communication that could not be reasonably assumed to be wanted or expected by the recipient. Spam thus has a personal component, based on the individual’s preferences. In many cases, spam is deceptive or contains viruses. It is this spam that causes security problems for firms and clogs networks.

“We look forward to working with all political parties to get this piece of legislation passed soon so that we can crack down on the spam that is filling people’s inboxes and clogging the internet,” concluded Beatty.

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For further information contact:

Chris Gray
Director, Canadian Intellectual Property Council and Innovation Policy
Tel.: 613.238.4000 (251)
Cell: 613.851.3478
Fax: 613.238.7643

www.chamber.ca

www.ipcouncil.ca