A new copyright law being proposed by the federal government will have a negative impact on Canada's education system by making current research methods criminal acts.

That's the opinion of Yukon Teachers' Association president Sandra Henderson.

She believes the proposed law, known as Bill C-60, will hinder students' education opportunities because it will prevent teachers from distributing printed materials and downloading educational materials from the Internet, and make Internet research by students more difficult.

'It (Bill C-60) will have a serious impact on the educational system,' Henderson said in an interview this morning.

'Every educator, in assigning projects, encourages kids to go past textbook learning,' said the veteran educator.

'This is big brother government not looking into the impacts of this bill on education,' Henderson added. She feels the proposed legislation was designed to appease Canada's publishing industry.

She said even though the bill would be delayed with Monday evening's death of Paul Martin's Liberal government, she feared the bill would resurface once a new government took office after the Jan. 23 federal election.

Henderson and the YTA are currently circulating petitions in the hopes of showing the government there is strong opposition to the bill.

According to information published by the federal government, Bill C-60 is an amendment to Canada's Copyright Act to implement protections required by two World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaties the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Proposed amendments to Canada's Copyright Act under Bill C-60 include:

'The existing exclusive communication right of authors wold be clarified to include control over the making available of their material on the Internet.

'Sound recording makers and performers would be provided the right to control the making available of their sound recordings and performances on the Internet.

'The circumvention for infringing purposes of technological protection measures applied to copyright material would constitute and infringement of copyright.

'The current exception that permits the performance of display of copyright material for educational purposes within the classroom would be modified to enable students in remote locations to view a lecture using network technology.'

Henderson maintains that the new copyright amendments would restrict educators and students from accessing educational materials on the Internet.

She said she believes the new legislation would restrict the right of students to download pertinent information to complete homework and projects and will prevent teachers and students from photocopying print materials to complement their instructional and learning assignments.

'One will be obliged to seek the official authorization from the author before using any of the materials even for educational use,' Henderson said in a press release isssued Tuesday.

'Homework and teaching previously legitimate exemptions should not now become criminal acts.'

Spokespeople for the federal Department of Heritage and the territorial Department of Education could not be reached for comment.