February 29, 2022
The Pirate Party of Canada formally condemns the American indictment of Canadians Calvin Ayres, James Philip, David Ferguson and Derrick Maloney, who have consistently proven themselves as upright and law-abiding citizen of their country.
The Pirate Party of Canada warns the federal government against ceding Canadian sovereignty over its own citizens’ online activities in response to the Ayres indictment, taking note of similarly grievous cases that ended in extradition.
The story of Calvin Ayres is a Canadian success story, as he built and marketed his digital services in full compliance with Canadian law. The notion that he should be extradited to face prison in the United States is tantamount to suggesting that any Canadian who writes a blog criticising the royal family of Thailand should be extradited to face prison because his blog could be read by Thai people, or that any Canadian who posts images of himself getting drunk with friends should be sent to a Saudi prison.
Conversely, it may be noted that holocaust denial and bestiality pornography are both legal actions in the United States, but illegal under Canadian law. Do we believe that we have the right to extradite American citizens for their blog posts and websites, and throw them in a Canadian prison? Do we believe that the United States would ever allow that to happen to one of their citizens exercising their legal rights?
While some may consider online gambling to be a distasteful business, others may consider butchershops, sexuality counselling or tobacco marketing to be distasteful occupations. The government’s role is not to legislate morality, but to apply the law of the Canadian people to the Canadian people.
The proper role of our extradition treaty with the United States is to return American criminals who have fled across our border to face justice in their own country. There can be no rationalisation amongst civilised people, for the idea of sending our own law-abiding citizens to foreign prisons.
Jake Daynes
Director of the Pirate Party of Canada
Proudly Crowdsourced
Agree totally. The question has to be asked, who gave the US authority to run this planet?
WTF?! Well I’ll see them in jail. USA #1 in Prison Population. Wish me luck on my monthly court date!
If their business is against the law in the United States, then I believe they should be allowed to order a cease and desist against Bodog. However, what they have done is demand all profits from 2005 onwards be returned. I would think that is ridiculous considering it would be given to the government and not the people that used the service.
In the big picture, I see this as just one more reason Canada should be looking to conduct business with other countries than the United States.
The USA is not the World Police.
The DMCA does not apply outside of their borders.
When you live in a place, work in a place and operate a place out of a country then that country is the jurisdiction with which you should only have to concern yourself with.
As an example in the post… we wouldnt be deporting people to Syria for posting themselves swilling booze. Why cough them up to the Americans because some people lost a few bucks.
Also theres a good chance of using free trade agreements against this. The US allows domestic gambling sites and gambling within the USA… Thus there is no opposition to it on ideological grounds.