04 Nov 2021
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
PIRATE PARTY’S INNOVATION, SCIENCE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CRITIC PROPOSES OPEN INTERNET POLICY
Red Deer–Mountain View District, Alberta – November 4, 2021 – The Pirate Party of Canada’s Innovation, Science & Economic Development Critic and former candidate Scott Milne has announced the party’s first policy for this new term of government. The policy to create an open internet includes the following proposed actions:
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Reject Bell’s appeal to cabinet against CRTC ruling 2015-326 meant to prevent big telco like Bell from limiting competition and monopolizing the internet fibre network.
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Upgrade the undersea transatlantic telecommunications cable from Newfoundland to more direct European locations.
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Repeal laws that are anti-privacy and compromise the security and privacy of business data.
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Promote Canada as a data privacy safe haven and attract businesses worldwide to setup their data centres here.
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Support non-profit co-operatives that provide fibre-to-home for university, research centres and libraries.
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Keep spectrum under government ownership to be leased out to private for-profit organizations.
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Ensure Sasktel and other non-profit co-ops across the nation get the required spectrum needed to expand their network if they remain a non-profit entity.
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Support Sasktel fibre-to-home Infinet or similar community owned initiatives (e.g. rural co-op like O-net.ca) across the country if they remain a non-profit organization.
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Use Saskatchewan as a testing ground for a next generation high speed network if the provincial government agrees to keep Sasktel non-profit.
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Create laws to allow government to take back auctioned off spectrum if it is used for anti-competitive non net-neutral means.
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Launch infrastructure bonds to pay for information infrastructure projects without raising taxes while avoiding or minimizing deficit. Investors will receive interest payments that would otherwise go to foreign or for-profit banks. In addition, once a project is completed, a share of the revenue for the first 5 years gained from the leasing out of this infrastructure to some for-profit companies will be awarded to bond holders.
18 Oct 2021
Don’t forget to vote tomorrow. And vote Pirate if you are in one of the 5 ridings:
Duncan Bell for Parry Sound – Muskoka
Ryan Bromsgrove for Edmonton – Strathcona
Scott Milne for Red Deer – Mountainview
Shawn Vulliez for Vancouver East
Trevor Walper for Vancouver Quadra
If you know anyone in those ridings please ask them to vote Pirate also.
Please note that none of our candidates are in swing ridings, for those concerned about strategic voting.
VOTING
Please confirm via Elections Canada’s website that you are registered to vote or the polling station on your card is accurate. At the “Results” confirmation page is a link under “Where to vote” that shows your poll location and poll Open and Close time.
https://ereg.elections.ca/CWelcome.aspx?lang=e
French: https://ereg.elections.ca/CWelcome.aspx?lang=f
IMPORTANT: New ID requirement under the new Unfair Elections Act. Voter Information Card is NOT a valid ID anymore.
Know your rights in case the now partisan registration officers and poll clerks gives you a hard time. No photo ID? No problem. Present two pieces of IDs including e-statement on your mobile device. Here are the list of valid IDs:
http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=id&document=index&lang=e
**
NOTE: There is a report that incorrect poll is being shown at Elections.ca site for voters in Parry Sound – Muskoka area who have postal code of P2A 2W9. The website is showing a non-existent poll at Waubamik Community Centre. Correct poll is Bobby Orr Community Centre (BOCC). Please double check to be sure.
**Check your ballot
** Make sure you don’t get a “dirty ballot”. Ballot with markings that seems like a vote for other candidates. This could be used by opposing party to contest and spoil the ballot.
http://rabble.ca/news/2015/10/dirty-ballots-reported-three-ridings-advance-polls{.extern}
Update: There are report of ballot pre-marked with X on Conservative Candidate or Green Party Candidate. This might be an attempt at spoiling the ballot if it is true. See details at our FB post. https://www.facebook.com/piratepartyca/posts/10153566528806438{.extern}
Taking photo of your ballot is illegal
It is a violation of the Canada Elections Act [ss. 164(2)(b)]
More on Global New Article{.extern}**
**Last week of Campaign Announcements and Materials Shared on Social Medias**
Polls Closing Time
https://www.pirateparty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Pollclosingtime_sm.png
Also posted on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit
End Vote Splitting Once & For All
https://www.pirateparty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ending-vote-splitting_sm.png
Also posted on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit
Youth Vote and Youth Issues
https://twitter.com/piratepartyca/status/655796370264055808
Also posted on Facebook, Reddit
Conflict of Interest and Lobbying
https://www.pirateparty.ca/2015/10/17/press-release-tackling-the-persistent-conflict-of-interest-lobbying-problems/
Also posted on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit
Roadmap to a Sustainable Health Care
https://www.pirateparty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/sustainable-healthcare_senior.png
Also posted on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit
Towards an Electric & Info Economy
https://www.pirateparty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/electric-and-info-economy__sm2.png
Also posted on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit
TPP
https://www.pirateparty.ca/2015/10/14/pirate-party-of-canada-releases-informational-video-on-tpp-expands-crowdsourcing-of-policies/
Also posted on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Youtube
Updated with info about anti-Open Source provision: Twitter
Basic Income Guarantee (B.I.G.)
And last but definitely not the least is Mincome or Basic Income Guarantee (B.I.G.) policy, policy book or text document, along with our policies, available at:
http://VotePirate.ca or http://remixgov.ca
and our video ad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc8kCkQvaNo
(French version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PmcZdPenEo)
16 Jun 2022
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
TACKLING THE PERSISTENT CONFLICT OF INTEREST LOBBYING PROBLEMS
Winnipeg, Manitoba – October 16, 2021 – Canadian major political parties have a persistent conflict of interest problem. This was recently brought to the spotlight with the resignation of the Liberal’s Campaign Co-Chair, Dan Gagnier. Dan Gagnier is a lobbyist that has previously been linked to Bruce Carson, Harper’s former adviser. Dan Gagnier was linked to the First Nations water filtration scandal [1] along with Bruce Carson and Nigel Wright. That all three names are the top aides of Canada’s two major political party’s leader is no accident. It reveals that influential backbenchers with substantial conflicts of interest are often affecting policies that goes against the public’s interest.
It is no wonder that a lot of policies first introduced by a past Liberal government are continued by the Conservative government right after an election. The Liberal party first introduced Lawful Access legislation under Bill C-74 [2]. When the Liberal minority government fell, Conservatives picked it up and re-packaged it as Bill C-30 “Protecting Children from Child Pornographers Act”. It was later changed to Bill C-13 “Protecting Canadian from Online Criminal Act” following a huge public outcry against the “You are with us or with the child pornographer” Bill C30.
A copyright amendment that favours the influential copyright monopoly lobbyists was introduced by the Liberal Party of Canada as Bill C-60, and later re-introduced by the Conservatives as Bill C-61 [3].
The group of lobbyists and their cronies in government can be expected to lobby hard for the adoption of TPP. Trudeau’s non-mention of the harmful intellectual monopoly and anti digital rights provisions offer Canadians no assurance that there would be “real change”. These chapters and provisions are already well-publicized and globally known [4] which suggests that Trudeau does not think it is important enough to raise as an issue. This is coming after he supported C-51’s bypassing of the due process guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and his whole party voting in favour of the government’s bullying enabling and anti-privacy bill C-13 [5].
The almost identical policies between the two parties have lead to accusations that they are one and the same. But who is really calling the shots in government? Is it the elected officials or their top aides and backbenchers, who have serious conflict of interest issues?
The Pirate Party policies includes creating a new online platform to improve accountability, transparency and interaction between the MP and their constituents. The Constituents-Representatives-Interaction-Sytem (C.R.I.S.) will be administered by Elections Canada, with anonymous logins provided to all eligible voters in a riding. The party will also enhance Canada’s conflict of interest laws to lower the threshold for disciplinary actions without waiting for the time consuming, costly and hard to prove scandals to surface. By setting high ethical standards by which elected officials, top aides and backbenchers must abide, cases of plausible deniability and mock innocence will not be tolerated. Depending on the level of seriousness and negligence, a public official should be summarily dismissed.
[1] Senior Trudeau advisor linked to Bruce Carson’s alleged illegal lobbying: RCMP document
http://aptn.ca/news/2014/03/06/senior-trudeau-advisor-linked-bruce-carsons-alleged-illegal-lobbying-rcmp-document/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernization_of_Investigative_Techniques_Act
[3] http://www.zeropaid.com/news/86509/canadian-liberal-party-wants-to-combat-piracy-in-canada-ratify-wipo/
[4] Our Digital Rights & Future, The Truth About TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) – Informational Video from the Pirate Party of Canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iooHkQ-fo-Y
[5] New MPs Voting History Tool shows Liberal voted overwhelmingly for the government’s C-13 bill https://www.votes.mp
Press Contact: Ric Lim or Shawn Vulliez pr (at) pirateparty.ca
16 Jun 2022
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
PIRATE PARTY OF CANADA RELEASES INFORMATIONAL VIDEO ON TPP, EXPANDS CROWDSOURCING OF POLICIES
Winnipeg, Manitoba – October 14, 2021 – Today, Pirate Party of Canada releases an informational video on TPP to raise the misconceptions and omissions on the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal. The government released a summary on October 6, 2021 which omitted any mention of the copyright terms being extended to 70 years, criminalization of breaking of digital locks, among many other problematic provisions. The video focuses on Digital Rights issues and how it affects our future. Experts such as renowned world economist and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz have criticized it as not being really about free-trade, and other experts have expressed similar concerns. The general sentiments from critics is that the TPP allows multinational corporations to subvert power that is normally held by a sovereign government.
The Pirate Party of Canada is a strong proponent of giving MPs as much autonomy as possible on coming up with their own policies and ideas in consultation with their constituents and experts. This would include our intellectual monopoly law reform policies if it comes before the parliament. There is no end to seeking policies on how to improve our government. That is why we are launching another round of crowdsourcing of our policies and taking it to Reddit and other social media. A good visionary idea will likely come from the grassroot level and Canadians working collectively. A good idea is likely to be picked up and adopted by an open minded MP. An elected Pirate MP will implement a a Constituents-Representative-Interaction-System (C.R.I.S.), an online forum administered by Elections Canada to increase representatives accountability and sharing of information with their constituents.
Our existing policies at http://Votepirate.ca{.extern} are just a small part of overall plan to improve our government for the better. Decentralization through a new socio-economic system via Basic Income and electoral reform would bring our democracy and economy into the information age. Part of the crowdsourcing campaign is on our draft Basic Income implementation plan as detailed in the document “A Bold B.I.G. Vision for Open Democracy in the Information Age”. People are encouraged to challenge it, vet it, and help improve it.
The TPP video has been posted at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iooHkQ-fo-Y{.extern} and a high definition (1080p) version can be downloaded from Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/142245043{.extern}.
The Basic Income and Open Democracy policy can be found at http://votepirate.ca{.extern} or http://remixgov.ca{.extern}
The Pirate Party is a federal political party that believes in upgrading our democracy. The party embraces technological changes and using it to create a more open and sustainable society to advance our socio-economic order. We believe in protecting the public interest and its fundamental rights, and protecting freedom and privacy in the digital age and beyond. This includes creative and innovative freedom, the right to a decent life, and open access to information. You can find out more online at https://www.pirateparty.ca{.extern} .
Media Contacts: Ric Lim or Shawn Vulliez at [email protected]
UPDATE 2021-10-15
TPP would forbid the government from asking for data to be stored locally, and to access or see a source codes. This would tie the hands of government in implementing an Open Source policy to save cost, to perform security audit or to launch investigation (e.g. automobile software emission test fraud etc), and to create cheaper open source tools for the public. (see E-commerce section of U.S. Trade Representative’s Summary on TPP{.extern})
The TPP also appears to exclude the possibility of at least having source code escrow requirements for safety-critical equipment such as medical devices, automotives and military equipment. There could be wide ranging implications as we move toward increased automation and driverless car.
02 Oct 2021
To sum up the Pirate principles in a sentence, it is about creating an open society that does not interfere with propagation of information and culture.
Ric Lim’s op-ed{.extern} at The Georgia Straight{.extern}.
{.extern}
