On Oct. 9, Craig Drury, vice president of operations at Vermeer Canada and Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) 2021 chairman, testified on behalf of the association before the Senate of Canada's Banking, Commerce and the Economy Committee during a hearing on Bill C244, an Act to amend the Copyright Act (diagnosis, maintenance and repair).

Drury explained to the committee that equipment industry customers currently have the right to repair and dealers make available diagnostic tools, repair information, parts and remote customer support.

"Idle equipment means lost time and money, so it's in our best interest to keep machines running — whether that's through our service technicians, the customer or third-party providers." Drury said.

"Nearly every repair can be completed by the customer or an independent repair company without needing a dealer service technician."

However, Drury argued, Bill C-244 goes well-beyond repairs and would enable the modification of equipment. Discussing the consequences of allowing unfettered access to embedded software, he cited the industry's environmental and safety concerns.

"Bill C-244 would allow unrestricted access to circumvent these important functions with dangerous consequences," said Drury. "Anyone would have the ability to disable emissions controls that protect the environment and safety features that protect technicians, operators and the public."

Bill C-244 was approved by the House of Commons last year.

For more information, visit, https://sencanada.ca/en/committees/BANC/44-1