“Canada has long preoccupied itself with the question of identity. As our country approaches its 150th year, the question has still not receive a truly universal answer. Indeed, since our confederation, there has only been cross-cultural communication between the French, the British, and the Aboriginal, alongside every other culture present within Canada. Nothing truly unique has emerged; the mosaic of Canada appears merely as a jumble of coloured tiles, while the tapestry of Canada presents no image.  

 

The Pirate Party of Canada (PPCA), as a party revolving around the policies of copyright reform, patent reform, and trademark reform, in addition to its information-positive platform, ranging from transparent government to research-informed governance, permits space to answer the question of our identity. The PPCA aims to establish greater growth in our country: intellectually, artistically, and economically. Every single policy is designed for these purposes.  

 

The PPCA privileges a new mode of governance. We seek to do away with contemporary political intrigue. We seek to exalt the individual, the citizen, the Canadian, as the centre of our concern.  

 

We are a party concerned with democracy. We are a party concerned with efficiency. We are a party concerned with change. We are the Pirate Party of Canada.”

“The Pirate Party is at it’s core a remix artist. Our job is to curate, tweak, and re-distribute the tactics, ideas, and policies of other parties and political cultures. We’re believers in polyculture, civil rights, and the political power of leisure. We believe in all-information-to-everyone. We believe in no-bullshit-jobs. We believe in attribution-as-accountability. 

We’re aspirational. We’re building local movements that can run candidates at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. By the end of the year we’ll have a skeletal plan to grow us and carry us through to the next federal election- and pick up seats. 

I don’t need to tell you this. You’re already one of us. Someone reading this right now is going to be leader next term. It could be you. What does your Pirate Party look like?

For me: Transparency. Empowerment. Art. Leisure. Comedy. 

The Pirate Party is a cluster of ideas that are being sorted by p2p intelligence. We evolve over time we ebb and flow. The pirate party is a do-ocracy which means that your time and effort are valued. Your vote, as a member and activist, is proportional to the work that you put in. We don’t believe in the vulgar bureaucracy of old politics. We are disordered by design. We believe in a democracy that emphasizes openness and participatory freedom over endless rounds of voting. We empower each other. Our goal is to get elected so we can empower voters in this same way.

Oldpolitics: inflexible, institutional, controlled, competitive, exclusive

Newpolitics: ad-hoc, anarchistic, decentralized, collaborative, inclusive

Let’s represent ourselves, as individuals, as sincerely and openly as we can, and work with awesome people to do things we care about. Let’s build community, share our research, and change the world. Let’s play: pragmatic utopianism!” 

“I couldn’t be more excited about my role as president of the Pirate Party of Canada and the future we are creating together. I’m located in London, Ontario where myself and fellow activists are building local support for the PPCA and what will hopefully become a vibrant social movement, centered around Pirate ideals and how they relate to the Canadian socio-political context.  

Electoral politics is only one avenue for social change. I hope that whatever happens we can stay true to ourselves and our values, loyal to each other and be a positive force that not only brings previously neglected issues to the forefront of Canadian politics, but also unafraid to challenge mainstream discourse around what it means to fight for a free and open society.  

We are a political party, but more importantly this is about grassroots people power, the Swarm mentality, everyone using their unique skills and passions to empower their communities and shape the future. See you at the ballot box, and forever on the frontlines!“