Pirate Party of Canada Evidence Based Policy Making

Vancouver Platform Consultation & Skill Sharing Meeting

Sunday April 19th at 5:00 PM

We will be meeting up locally to discuss the Pirate Platform and running candidates in the Vancouver area.

There is no requirement to be a Pirate Party member to participate. We are looking for input from a great variety of ideological backgrounds,

The meeting will be held in the Commercial Drive area.

For directions/to RSVP, e-mail [email protected]

Shawn V.

BC Strategy Director

Political Council

Victoria, BC Meetup / Hangout

I’m looking for Pirates in Greater Victoria that would like to get together. I’d like to see what we can muster here and if there’s any interest in putting someone forward for the 2015 election. Please post or e-mail me (rintaran at gmail) your interest. I like the idea of one-on-one meetings in advance of putting together a Greater Victoria Pirate meeting to hash out what we can do locally.

Thanks!

-Shawn Gray

[La version française suit]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Winnipeg - March 1st - The Pirate Party of Canada is deeply concerned about the proposed Bill C-51.  The party’s primary objective is to fight for the civil liberties of Canadians which Bill C-51 endangers.  One of the main concerns with this bill is the ambiguous wording that defines terrorism, the circumstances in which the bill is being rushed, and the sacrificed liberties for alleged gained security.  They believe this bill does not serve our national security interest nor our inalienable democratic rights, such as due process and to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure. Rather, fighting  terrorism and extremism requires a smart, carefully thought out, collaborative strategy and should not be a matter of political rhetoric.

The Pirate Party believes a bill of this magnitude, with far-reaching implications regarding the privacy and security of Canadians, calls for more debate, criticism and discussion.  The Party also cautions against making such hasty decisions in the wake of recent terrorist attacks, when emotions are still high; muddying the waters of rationality. During question period, the prime minister deflected any concerns as being an opposition to the very notions of police and law enforcement. In the opinion of the Pirate Party however, the U.S. Patriot Act and War Measures Act have shown such concerns to be highly valid.  The G20 in Toronto as well as the case of Maher Arar are prime examples of the injustices that result when due process is ignored in Canada.

Canada already introduced extensive anti-terror legislation following the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. Among other things, Section 83.18(1) of the Criminal Code already prohibits “enhancing terrorist activity.”  Prior to the introduction of anti-terror legislation, the criminal code had already been amended to make participating in a “criminal organization” illegal.  “Time and again our resident bureaucrats tell us we must forfeit our liberty for security.  Not only is this wrong on principle, but the best evidence suggests that this approach to fighting ‘terrorism’ is ineffective.” says spokesperson Shawn Vulliez, “Either the Harper Conservatives are completely inept and unaware of the best  tactics to combat terror or they have a malicious secondary agenda.  I personally believe they are  trying to create chilling effects on activism and journalism for the benefit of the global one percent.”

“Stephen Harper is forcing this Bill onto Canadians using fear mongering,” says Craig Nobbs, Deputy Leader of the  Pirate Party of Canada.  “For example, the RCMP have recently likened environmentalists to terrorists, as evidenced by a recent leaked RCMP report.  Being likened to a terrorist gives carte blanche to CSIS to investigate anyone they deem to be involved.”  He points to  section 83.221 (1) of Bill C-51 which states “Every person who, by communicating statements, knowingly advocates or promotes the commission of terrorism offences in general (…).  This law will allow the Canadian government to search any person’s computer without a warrant and without reason.  It will also allow the government to arrest and  incarcerate any citizen based on subjective evidence, then have that evidence destroyed (Bill C-51 Secret Court Appeals section 16 (6)).  We call on all governing parties to recognize the damage to every Canadian’s way of life that this bill will cause and to put their full support behind the immediate termination of Bill C-51.” 

Experts from lawyers to former Prime Ministers and former Supreme Court justices have voiced strong concerns about bill C51.  It took days for experts to decipher the bill and understand its implications.  Two law professors have written an article and created a video to explain.  Their analysis is now being quoted by MPs and policy makers. The  complexity of the bill and the government’s determination to hastily get it passed are causing some to express their disapproval through social media.  One traditional Liberal supporter has voiced their disapproval and expressed support for the Pirate Party or other parties instead.  It has lead to a call for a countrywide protest on the popular online forum Reddit.  The increasing public awareness could turn this bill into an election issue that could come back to haunt the main supporters, the  Conservatives and the Liberals.

For further information, we can be contacted at:
Media Contacts: [email protected]

 

This press release was crowd-sourced  by concerned Canadians and Pirate Party of Canada supporters. The  Pirate Party of Canada is a federal political party focused on  thoughtful information policy reform, genuine democracy, civil liberties, and freedom of the Internet. You can find out more online at www.pirateparty.ca .

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COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE: Le projet de loi C-51 de Stephen Harper affaiblit la démocratie Canadienne 

POUR PUBLICATION IMMÉDIATE

Winnipeg - 1 mars - Le projet de loi C-51.  inquiète sérieusement le Parti Pirate du Canada, qui le voit comme une menace aux  libertés civiles des Canadiens et Canadiennes, l’une des valeurs  essentielles défendue par ce dernier. L’une des inquiétudes principales  de la loi C-51 réside dans sa définition ambiguë du terrorisme,  des  circonstances dans lesquelles la loi est passée en vitesse, et les  libertés sacrifiées pour des gains de sécurité nébuleux. Le Parti Pirate  croit que le projet de loi C-51 n’aide pas nos intérêts en matière de  sécurité nationale ni nos droits fondamentaux, tels que la protection  contre les fouilles, les perquisitions ou les saisies abusives, ou le  droit à un procès en bonne et due forme. Au contraire, combattre le  terrorisme requiert une approche intelligente, collaborative et posée,  et ne devrait pas être une question de rhétorique politique.

Le  Parti Pirate croit qu’une loi de cette ampleur, avec autant de  conséquences sur la vie privée et la sécurité des Canadiens, demande  plus de débat, plus de critique et plus de discussion. Le Parti  prévient aussi que de prendre de telles décisions à la légère suite aux  récentes attaques, alors que la tension est encore haute, impacte leur  rationalité. Pendant la période des questions, le premier ministre à  ignoré tous les doutes comme étant une opposition directe aux notions de  protection et de loi. Selon le Parti Pirate, les doutes semblables en  faveur du Patriot Act américain ont été prouvés entièrement valides. Les événements du G20 à Toronto ainsi que le cas de Maher Arar démontrent bien les conséquences d’un Canada qui décide d’ignorer les procédures légales auxquelles ses citoyens ont droit.

Le  Canada a d’ailleurs instauré des lois anti-terroristes exhaustives  suivant les attaques terroristes de 2001 à New York et Washington D.C.  Entre autres, la Section 83.18(1) du Code Criminel interdit déjà de  contribuer “d’accroître la capacité de tout groupe terroriste de se  livrer à une activité terroriste ou de la faciliter”. Avant l’introduction de lois anti-terrorisme, le code criminel avait déjà subi  des modifications pour interdire la participation à des organisations  criminelles. “Coup après coup, les bureaucrates nous disent qu’on doit échanger nos libertés pour la sécurité. Les problèmes ne sont pas seulement au  niveau du principe; la preuve a souvent été faite que cette approche est  inefficace dans la lutte au terrorisme,” selon Shawn Vulliez, porte-parole.  “Soit les conservateurs de Harper sont incapables et ignorent des meilleures tactiques pour combattre la terreur, ou ils ont un agenda caché et malicieux. Je crois personellement qu’ils tentent de refroidir les ardeurs d’activistes et de journalistes pour bénéficier aux 1% de ce monde.”

“Stephen  Harper force cette loi sur les Canadiens avec des tactiques de peur”,  ajoute Craig Nobbs, leader adjoint du Parti Pirate du Canada. “Par  exemple, la GRC a récemment comparé les environnementalistes à des  terroristes, tel que prouvé par un rapport récent de la GRC. Lorsqu’un  groupe est étiqueté de la sorte, le SCRS a alors carte blanche pour  enquêter sur quiconque perçu comme étant impliqué.” Il pointe à la section  83.221 (1) du projet de loi C-51 qui vise quiconque “par la  communication de déclarations, préconise ou fomente la perpétration  d’infractions de terrorisme en général […] sans se soucier du fait que  la communication puisse ou non entraîner la perpétration de l’une de  ces infractions”. Mr. Nobbs continue: “Ce genre de langage vague va permettre au gouvernement canadien de chercher l’ordinateur de n’importe qui sans mandat ou raison valide. Il permettrait aussi d’arrêter et d’emprisonner des citoyens jusqu’à 5 ans sur ce langage vague, pour ensuite détruire les preuves en toute légalité (Projet de loi C-51 Cour d’Appel secrète 16 (6)). Nous demandons à tous les partis au pouvoir de reconnaître le dommage qui sera causé par cette loi au mode de vie des Canadiens et Canadiennes, et de s’opposer à la loi C-51.”

Des  experts légaux incluant des avocats, anciens Premiers Ministres, et de  Juges de la Cour Suprême ont également soulevé des doutes semblables contre la loi C-51.  Il aura fallu des jours pour que les experts sachent déchiffrer et  comprendre le projet de loi et ses implications. Deux professeurs de loi  ont écrit un article et publié un vidéo pour l’expliquer.  Leur analyse est désormais citée par des ministres. La complexité de  la loi C-51 et la détermination du gouvernement de la passer en vitesse a  poussé certains à s’exprimer sur les médias sociaux. Un supporteur  Libéral traditionnel a d’ailleurs mentionné son mécontentement et  exprimé son support au Parti Pirate et autres partis. Un appel à une  manifestation à la grandeur du pays a été demandée sur le forum en ligne populaire Reddit.  Le niveau accru d’attention du public à l’égard de cette loi pourait la  tourner en cause d’élection qui pourrait revenir pour hanter ses  principaux supporteurs, les Conservateurs et les Libéraux.

For further information, we can be contacted at:
Media Contacts: [email protected]

 

Ce  communiqué de presse a été rédigé par des citoyens concernés Canadiens  et des supporteurs du Parti Pirate du Canada. Le Parti Pirate du Canada  est un parti politique fédéral basé sur la réforme des politiques  d’informations, une démocracie authentique, et d’un Internet libre. Pour  en savoir plus, www.pirateparty.ca

 

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (CC-BY){.extern}

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fox Creek, AB – December 11th – An Economic Research Report published by the United States Department of Agriculture is predicting that Canada will receive no growth to its GDP from the agriculture portions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.[1] Meanwhile, Australia & New Zealand have demanded concessions in other areas to secure the needed opening of their agricultural sectors. Back in June, Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz stated that the Conservative Government would never sign an agreement that Canada did not benefit from. He also stated that he saw more promise in making bilateral trade deals (specifically with Japan) since the Trans-Pacific Partnership only had a 50-50 chance of actually being agreed upon.

Canadian negotiators have been fighting hard against including longer copyright terms in the agreement. Several provisions also aim to strengthen pharmaceutical patents at the expense of sick Canadians. These issues combined with a distinct lack of research on what growth, if any, the Trans-Pacific Partnership will result in makes it appear Canada is set to trade something for nothing.

“When will Prime Minister Harper listen to the advice of his own Agriculture Minister and change course? If Mr. Harper has any evidence that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is worth the time investment he has put into it I think it is time he shared it. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is an unwieldy mess that has not been shown capable of increasing the Canadian GDP. Instead, it seems it will only increase burdensome regulations”, says James Wilson, Leader of the Pirate Party of Canada. “Previously Canada had primarily kept to making bilateral agreements between ourselves and other nations. I feel this is a better way to go about opening up trade as it allows Canada a great deal more freedom to create agreements that suit our interests. If problems arise we can rest assured knowing each individual treaty does not make up a large percentage of our total trade. The TPP, on the other hand, will introduce a degree of inflexibility into Canadian trade relations that we can do without”. The Pirate Party of Canada calls on Stephan Harper to end his quixotic campaign and return to the sensible policy of negotiating treaties bilaterally.

The Pirate Party of Canada is a federal political party focused on thoughtful information policy reform, genuine democracy, civil liberties, and the freedom of the Internet. You can find out more online at www.pirateparty.ca .

#

Media Contacts: [email protected]

[1] http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err176{.extern}

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fox Creek, AB – December 8th – On Thursday & Friday of last week representatives of the Pirate Party of Canada attended the General Meeting of the Advisory Committee of Political Parties organized by Elections Canada. As part of the party’s continuing efforts to improve Canadian democracy we presented a letter outlining necessary changes that the party feels need to be made to Canadian election laws to end the systematic disadvantage faced by Independent candidates.[1] We also invited one of the House of Common’s Independent MPs to take one of our two spots at the meetings as, by law, no representatives of Independent candidates are invited. This is in spite of the fact that reforms to election rules and regulations greatly affect Independents. While the Independent MP was contacted on too short of notice to attend this time he did express an interest in being informed of future meetings. The Pirate Party for its part will keep one of its spots available for representation by Independents until Parliament amends the law and allows Elections Canada to create a more permanent method of representation for them.

The purpose of these meetings is both for Elections Canada to explain changes being made to how elections are conducted and for parties to give advice and make recommendations on election and political financing matters to the Chief Electoral Officer. Every registered political party is permitted to send two representatives that have speaking privileges and a observer (with advance notice).

“Independents are often thought of as irrelevant to Canadian democracy. This is largely because the rules render them so. They face limitations that party candidates do not and no effort has been made to improve their situation”, says James Wilson, Leader of the Pirate Party of Canada. “In 2011 three Independents came in second place and in the past have generally managed to win one or two seats per election. James Ford, in the riding of Edmonton—Sherwood Park, raised $34,907 in 2008 and an even more impressive $43,356 in 2011. In both cases he had to forfeit any leftover funds to Elections Canada after the campaign was over. The party candidates meanwhile were able to transfer their leftover funds to their party’s riding associations. This is but one systematic disadvantage Independents face”. Canadians have repeatedly said they want MPs who represent them before their party. The Conservatives, Liberals & NDP have responded instead by tightening party discipline. It is time Canadians had the realistic option to vote for candidates that will truly represent them.

The Pirate Party of Canada is a federal political party focused on thoughtful information policy reform, genuine democracy, civil liberties, and the freedom of the Internet. You can find out more online at www.pirateparty.ca .

[1] https://my.pirateparty.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=12&qid=11464