Some of Canada's musical heavyweights want their fans to continue to be able to download songs without the fear of being sued.

A group of musicians -- including Barenaked Ladies, Blue Rodeo and Broken Social Scene -- gathered in Toronto on Monday to hammer that message home to federal politicians who have begun to draft new laws to toughen copyright laws.

Some of the proposals being thrown around include making it illegal to share music online, which could lead to lawsuits. Artists call the move "destructive and hypocritical."

The federal government has been under pressure by lobby groups and major recording labels to introduce tougher legislation and make it illegal to use free downloading sites.

The labels want the power to go after high-volume digital music sharers through the courts like their counterparts in the United States, who have filed dozens of lawsuits.

Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page said it would be a step in the wrong direction for the Canadian government to follow suit.

"For a very long time, we as artists have allowed industry groups to speak on our behalf. We want that time to stop," Page said at a press conference at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto.

Page said the government hears complaints from big businesses who don't represent the views of musicians.

"We need a seat at the table. We need to be part of this copyright legislation when it is drafted," he said.

Page was supported by members of the Canadian Music Creators Coalition, a group that includes artists such as Sam Roberts, Sum 41, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Randy Bachman, Billy Talent, Our Lady Peace singer Raine Maida and Sloan.

Industry officials, however, argue artists should be compensated for their intellectual property.

Graham Henderson, the president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, said the creation of Napster has cost the music industry millions of dollars in retail sales.

"For six years, Canadians have freely downloaded movies, books, and music using web-based peer-to-peer software programs," he said at a Canadian Club luncheon in Toronto Monday, which was attended by representatives from the major labels.

"There is another road and there are other artists that want to go down it."

Henderson said people have turned to legal downloading sites such as iTunes in countries where governments have toughened down on digital music laws.

He pointed to a recent study that said digital music sales account for only one per cent of revenue in Canada compared with six per cent in countries such as the U.S.

Lobby groups have called on Heritage Minister Beverley Oda to overhaul copyright legislation they call archaic and lagging behind the rest of the world. So far, no timeline has been set for changes to the legislation.

The Canadian Recording Industry Association, which represents major labels such as Sony-BMG Canada and Universal Music Canada, have demanded the Conservatives sign international digital music treaties which would make it illegal to swap or burn music files.

Page supports current legislation that doesn't allow the government to sue high-volume music sharers.

"We would rather see our fans in concert than in court," he said.

"We cannot afford to have an adversarial relationship with our fans. New technology affords fans new ways to listen to music. We as artists . . . must adapt to that,'' he said.

Broken Social Scene member Jason Collett credited his band's international success to the Internet.

"The time and place of a band like Broken Social Scene historically could not have happened without being facilitated by this radical new technology,'' he said.

With files from The Canadian Press