Actor Peter Keleghan was on Parliament Hill on Tuesday to urge amendments to the copyright bill. (ACTRA)

Canadian actors are lobbying in Ottawa for changes to the government's copyright legislation, Bill C-32.

"Instead of valuing content, this bill says it should be given away for free. Our message is: if it's free today, it will be gone tomorrow," said Peter Keleghan, star of CBC-TV's 18 to Life.

ACTRA members such as Keleghan and Eric Peterson of Corner Gas are meeting MPs on Tuesday and Wednesday to outline changes they'd like to see to the bill.

They told reporters that consumers should be able to share copyrighted material, but not for free.

Canadians copy music and TV programs from one format to another every day and that should be legal, they argued.

But ACTRA is recommending a levy be applied to every recordable device, including hard drives and MP3 players, to provide a stream of income for the artists who create content. Blank CDs and cassettes already carry such a levy.

The levy would range from $2 to $25, depending on the size of the recordable device.

Heritage Minister James Moore has been unequivocal in his opposition to a levy, saying the Conservative government will not support a new tax. The NDP has backed the levy idea.

ACTRA recommended several other changes to the bill:

• Remove the "mash-up" provision that allows Canadians to remix content without compensating creators.
• Remove provisions that would allow free copying for educational purposes, without defining what is considered "education."
• Make those who enable online theft, including file-sharing sites, pay creators.
• Make internet service providers do their part to fight online theft.
• Make broadcasters pay their fair share.

ACTRA says Bill C-32 kills the collective licence broadcasters have used to pay for copies of the music they use. Broadcasters would be getting a "free ride," the union said.