From Pirate Party of Canada
Transcript from Federal Council Meeting on Oct 28, 2010
[21:45] <~MikkelPaulson> I'll call the meeting to order
[21:45] <~MikkelPaulson> so you've got a room booked, Mike?
[21:45] <+Zblewski> Yes. The thing is, it got booked... a few doors down from Michael Geist's office.
[21:45] <~MikkelPaulson> haha
[21:45] <~MikkelPaulson> awesome
[21:46] <~MikkelPaulson> be sure to put up a few posters outside his office then
[21:46] <~MikkelPaulson> I really hope your event turns out to be more successful
[21:47] <~MikkelPaulson> I've managed to stir up a couple of PPCA volunteers in Winnipeg (Axon included),
but I think the bulk of Jeff's volunteer force will have to come from his FCC contacts
[21:48] <~MikkelPaulson> how many do you have confirmed now?
[21:48] <+Zblewski> I don't know
[21:48] <+Zblewski> specifically for this event
[21:48] <+Zblewski> Emails went out
[21:49] <+Zblewski> today
[21:49] <~MikkelPaulson> good to hear
[21:49] <~MikkelPaulson> November 9 right?
[21:49] <+Zblewski> Yes. There is a facebook event linked to our page.
[21:49] <~MikkelPaulson> good to know
[21:50] <~MikkelPaulson> you should plan something campaigny to do afterwards
[21:50] <+Zblewski> mhm
[21:50] <~MikkelPaulson> like go around campus handing out flyers or something
[21:50] <~MikkelPaulson> to get things started right away
[21:51] <~MikkelPaulson> so what're you planning to cover?
[21:52] <+Zblewski> The goals of the party for the first little bt, then on to thinking of activities to perform to get money into the coffers
[21:53] <~MikkelPaulson> cover Winnipeg North as well
[21:53] <+Zblewski> yessir.
[21:53] <~MikkelPaulson> hopefully involving some clever ways that I haven't thought of yet to get involved
[21:53] <+Zblewski> I'll ask Jeff what he needs whenever he decides he needs it
[21:53] <~MikkelPaulson> yeah
[21:53] <~MikkelPaulson> well at the moment I think we need to do up some good promotional material
[21:54] <~MikkelPaulson> that's the big gap that's waiting to be filled as soon as the nomination is finalized
[21:54] <~MikkelPaulson> I'll help out as I can, but I also have a web dev project due Monday
[21:55] <~MikkelPaulson> leader's done, the day job is catching up with me now
[21:55] <~MikkelPaulson> I was kinda hoping to have the paperwork done by the time I left, but I think we've got a decent start
[21:55] <~MikkelPaulson> I provided him with a letter of endorsement and the instructions to submit the paperwork as soon as possible
[21:56] <+Zblewski> How many signatures are there, do you know?
[21:56] <~MikkelPaulson> it's possible to withdraw an endorsement, so I'll just do that if he fails the vote on Monday
[21:56] <~MikkelPaulson> he has about 40 of the required 100
[21:56] <~MikkelPaulson> he's really well-connected in the community, so he's done a lot better than I would in his place
[21:57] <+Zblewski> Sounds like okay progress
[21:58] <~MikkelPaulson> yeah
[21:58] <~MikkelPaulson> so I don't foresee any problem in getting the paperwork in before the deadline, which is on the 8th
[21:59] <+Zblewski> Good. Like I said, I'll be contacting him on his progress on the paperwork and looking to see what he needs
[21:59] <~MikkelPaulson> great
[21:59] <~MikkelPaulson> I recognize that by endorsing Jeff before putting it to a vote by the membership I've
overstepped my authority, but I hope the members respect the need to act quickly
[22:00] <~MikkelPaulson> and we will have to review the section of the constitution concerned with this, as clearly it doesn't work as well as it should
[22:00] <+Zblewski> Well, I also want to see if he feels he has gotten the bulk of information he needs to start sending a message
[22:00] <~MikkelPaulson> indeed
[22:01] <+Zblewski> Though he needs to carry the listening message throughout, he should show that he is capable of drawing conclusions based on what he has heard
[22:01] <~MikkelPaulson> yeah exactly
[22:02] <+Zblewski> I also want to start to go by the critical path for a few things, certainly not all
[22:03] <~MikkelPaulson> a brochure design I had in mind just says, "I'm tired of politics. Your turn," at the top, and the next page is just lined paper
[22:03] <~MikkelPaulson> with contact info
[22:03] <~MikkelPaulson> and the party platform on the back
[22:03] <+Zblewski> hmm
[22:03] <~MikkelPaulson> we'll also need to do basic templates for candidate sites, brochures, etc.
[22:04] <+Zblewski> Yeah.
[22:04] <~MikkelPaulson> did Jake ever contact you about the business cards?
[22:04] <~MikkelPaulson> I sent him an email asking him to take whatever he could off your hands
[22:04] <~MikkelPaulson> I've been dumping all kinds of stuff on you because I don't know how much Jake will be able to handly
[22:04] <~MikkelPaulson> *handle
[22:05] <+Zblewski> He did email me
[22:05] <+Zblewski> I just haven't decided
[22:05] <~MikkelPaulson> fair enough
[22:05] <~MikkelPaulson> any progress on the business cards?
[22:06] <+Zblewski> Not really, those I have called don't work in vectors
[22:06] <~MikkelPaulson> well you can always send them a raster version
[22:06] <+Zblewski> I'll have to dig into the more specialized printers
[22:07] <~MikkelPaulson> that's what we do just about everywhere
[22:07] <~MikkelPaulson> like for the Gelaskin I ordered
[22:07] <~MikkelPaulson> just converted the vector to 300 dpi png
[22:08] <+Zblewski> Ah
[22:08] <~MikkelPaulson> hey Stephane
[22:08] <+Zblewski> Nuitari
[22:08] <+Nuitari> hey MikkelPaulson Zblewski
[22:08] <+Nuitari> did I miss the meeting?
[22:08] <+Zblewski> Just basic discussion on Winnipeg so far
[22:09] <+Nuitari> cool
[22:09] <+Nuitari> no news from the auditor
[22:09] <+Nuitari> MikkelPaulson: are you back in Edmonton?
[22:09] <~MikkelPaulson> just got in this afternoon
[22:09] <~MikkelPaulson> came in $175 under budget on the trip
[22:09] <+Nuitari> cool
[22:09] <+Zblewski> BRAVO
[22:09] <~MikkelPaulson> including the flight it came to $623.88
[22:10] <+Zblewski> Paulson the penny-pincher
[22:10] <~MikkelPaulson> tell me about it
[22:10] <~MikkelPaulson> my biggest single food expense was Subway
[22:10] <+Nuitari> will you and Jeff be able to join the teleconference tomorrow?
[22:10] <~MikkelPaulson> you checked if that would be okay?
[22:10] <+Nuitari> yes
[22:11] <+Nuitari> more can join too
[22:11] <~MikkelPaulson> sure
[22:11] <~MikkelPaulson> I don't know that it'll be strictly necessary
[22:11] <+Nuitari> so Zblewski if you want in, I'll forward you the info
[22:11] <+Nuitari> I don't know either, but I want to be sure we have people on it too
[22:11] <~MikkelPaulson> doesn't sound like much of what's going on is of particular concern to us
[22:11] <~MikkelPaulson> sure, I just figured one person would be enough
[22:11] <+Nuitari> well, the first and last point of the order are
[22:11] <~MikkelPaulson> but I know that Jeff's interested in joining in
[22:12] <+Nuitari> excellent
[22:12] <~MikkelPaulson> not sure what "administrative improvements" involves, but I doubt that we'll need to pay attention to the expense limits
[22:13] <+Nuitari> perhaps, but it's all stuff we have to know as we grow
[22:13] <+Zblewski> Nuitari, do that
[22:13] <~MikkelPaulson> although of course I'd love to be wrong there
[22:14] <~MikkelPaulson> one of Jeff's campaign goals is to get more votes per dollar spent than any other candidate
[22:14] <+Zblewski> Hm
[22:15] <~MikkelPaulson> in my riding in 2004, the Green candidate spent $107 and got 3,029 votes
[22:15] <~MikkelPaulson> the Liberal candidate spent 400x as much for 4x the votes
[22:16] <~MikkelPaulson> anyway, I won't get into the specifics of Jeff's campaign too much here
[22:16] <~MikkelPaulson> that's what the meeting on Monday is for
[22:17] <+Nuitari> newsletter for it please
[22:17] <~MikkelPaulson> helluva newsletter we'll be sending out
[22:17] <~MikkelPaulson> looking forward to seeing the response
[22:17] <~MikkelPaulson> Mike, how do you feel about doing a cold-calling tutorial for us?
[22:17] <+Zblewski> That sounds like a plan
[22:19] <~MikkelPaulson> well, now that we have quorum here, we apparently need to pass a motion to call the directorial by-election
[22:19] <~MikkelPaulson> to that end, I move that a by-election be called to replace the position left vacant by
the resignation of Daniel LaSalle, to conclude at the general meeting on December 19, 2010
[22:20] <+Nuitari> ok let's do it
[22:20] <~MikkelPaulson> I vote yes, obviously
[22:21] <+Zblewski> Yes
[22:21] <~MikkelPaulson> Stephane, for the record, your vote?
[22:22] <+Nuitari> yes
[22:22] <~MikkelPaulson> alrighty then, we can include that in the newsletter as well
[22:23] <+Nuitari> no
[22:23] <+Nuitari> not yet
[22:23] <~MikkelPaulson> no?
[22:23] <+Zblewski> ?
[22:23] <+Nuitari> there is a 30 day limit to find a replacement with EC
[22:24] <~MikkelPaulson> and a 32-day limit in our constitution
[22:24] <+Nuitari> w/o him we're at the limit of what is allowed
[22:24] <~MikkelPaulson> even though he's interim?
[22:24] <~MikkelPaulson> as well, EC only requires 3 directors as I recall
[22:25] <+Nuitari> yes
[22:25] <+Nuitari> the leader doesn't count as a director
[22:25] <~MikkelPaulson> right
[22:25] <~MikkelPaulson> so there's you, Mike, and Jake
[22:25] <+Nuitari> right
[22:26] <+Nuitari> DLS was our safety margin in case someone gets hit by a bus
[22:26] <+Nuitari> plus we need to focus on Winnipeg at this point and have more people willing to participate in the party at the director level
[22:26] <~MikkelPaulson> so what do you suggest?
[22:27] <~MikkelPaulson> last time I raised the subject here, popular opinion seemed to hold that we should get it over with as soon as possible
[22:27] <~MikkelPaulson> I'm fine either way, but we've already started down that path
[22:29] <+Zblewski> I know I felt that way
[22:29] <+Nuitari> right but now it's too late to do that
[22:29] <+Zblewski> but now tha this whole Winnipeg thing has started
[22:29] <~MikkelPaulson> will you lot make up your minds?
[22:29] <~MikkelPaulson> Winnipeg is not a surprise
[22:29] <~MikkelPaulson> this is things going according to the best-case scenario
[22:30] <~MikkelPaulson> aside from the as-yet lacklustre volunteer response
[22:30] <+Nuitari> people like having everything done for them
[22:31] <~MikkelPaulson> which means…?
[22:32] <+Nuitari> a lot of them can't even do things for themselves and we're asking them to volunteer for us
[22:32] <~MikkelPaulson> right
[22:32] <~MikkelPaulson> and I understand that the internet doesn't always have the best irl conversion rate
[22:32] <~MikkelPaulson> but we have to do our best
[22:33] <+Nuitari> yes we have to
[22:34] <~MikkelPaulson> so what I don't understand is what changed between last time we discussed this and now
[22:34] <+Nuitari> time passed
[22:35] <+Nuitari> now the time to deal with it quickly before Winnipeg is gone
[22:35] <~MikkelPaulson> 1.When a vacancy occurs in the Council:
[22:35] <~MikkelPaulson> 1.The vacancy shall be announced;
[22:35] <~MikkelPaulson> 2.The Council shall set a date for a by-election, with the nomination period opening as
soon as possible to meet other requirements in the bylaws; and
[22:35] <~MikkelPaulson> 3.A general meeting of members or the Council can appoint an interim director for the vacancy,
provided that the interim director would be eligible to seek election to that post.
[22:35] <~MikkelPaulson> 1.Appointments of interim directors made by a general meeting of members overrule those made by the Council.
[22:35] <~MikkelPaulson> 4.If the vacancy is in the Party Leader position, the Council shall appoint an interim Leader from the remaining Directors.
[22:35] <~MikkelPaulson> 1.The appointee shall retain their original position, but cannot exercise any powers of that position until they cease to be the Party Leader.
[22:35] <~MikkelPaulson> is what the constitution has to say about it
[22:36] <+Nuitari> anyone comes as a good person to put in as interim?
[22:37] <~MikkelPaulson> Dan is fine, and already appointed in an interim capacity
[22:37] <+Nuitari> alright
[22:38] <~MikkelPaulson> I don't see anything from Elections Canada about interim directorship
[22:38] <+Nuitari> why not start the process after Winnipeg and use the momentum from it?
[22:38] <+Nuitari> EC doesn't care if someone is elected director or chosen
[22:38] <~MikkelPaulson> yeah
[22:38] <~MikkelPaulson> and keeping Dan at least we don't have to add updating EC records to our to-do list
[22:39] <+Nuitari> alright
[22:40] <~MikkelPaulson> I'm not happy about the situation, but I'm also acutely aware that we need to focus on Winnipeg North as much as possible
[22:41] <~MikkelPaulson> in that case, I move to withdraw the previous motion
[22:42] <~MikkelPaulson> I vote yes
[22:42] <~MikkelPaulson> Nuitari? Zblewski?
[22:42] <+Zblewski> Yes.
[22:43] <+Zblewski> If we have to into it right away, I'd rather vote against
[22:43] <~MikkelPaulson> seems not
[22:45] <~MikkelPaulson> anyway, this meeting is getting a bit long in the tooth, so let's hurry things along
[22:45] <~MikkelPaulson> Nuitari, please record a vote when you get a chance
[22:46] <~MikkelPaulson> the last bit is as follows
[22:46] <~MikkelPaulson> sounds like C-32 will be resuming shortly
[22:47] <~MikkelPaulson> if we are to provide honourary memberships to people involved in all sides of the debate, as we've discussed previously, now's the time
[22:50] <+Nuitari> Zblewski: what is the question to vote?
[22:52] <+Zblewski> We were voting to null the by-election in favour of the Winnipeg campaign
[22:52] <+Zblewski> MikkelPaulson: for this campaign
[22:52] <+Zblewski> I do think it's risky
[22:52] <+Zblewski> I really do
[22:52] <~MikkelPaulson> taking on too much?
[22:53] <+Zblewski> Not just that, but it could bite back
[22:54] <~MikkelPaulson> I understand that it's a bold move, but I'm interested to hear your reasoning
[22:55] <+Zblewski> I'm quite tired, but, I'll try. Basically, there are a few things that can happen
[22:55] <+Zblewski> one, no one might care, thus, a total flop.
[22:56] <+Zblewski> 2, we could be utterly dismissed by these people, without reason, and it can stick permanently.
[22:56] <+Zblewski> 3. We could be unprepared if they try and school us in terms of knowlege on the subject at hand
[22:58] <+Zblewski> 4. The tactic itself could be labelled by opponents as a cheap tactic used by pressure groups
[23:00] <+Zblewski> See?
[23:00] <~MikkelPaulson> I do
[23:00] <+Nuitari> MikkelPaulson: I vote yes for the withdrawal
[23:01] <~MikkelPaulson> thanks
[23:01] <~MikkelPaulson> so you think it's too risky to proceed with at this point?
[23:01] <+Nuitari> yes
[23:01] <+Nuitari> we need to focus
[23:02] <~MikkelPaulson> I'm willing to accept that
[23:03] <+Nuitari> let
[23:03] <+Nuitari> let's concentrate on promoting the party, esp in Winnipeg
[23:03] <+Nuitari> we also need to call all the bounced cards
[23:03] <~MikkelPaulson> how many?
[23:03] <+Nuitari> 9 left
[23:03] <+Nuitari> for now
[23:04] <+Nuitari> I already remailed 6
[23:04] <~MikkelPaulson> okay
[23:04] <~MikkelPaulson> that's not exactly a big deal
[23:04] <~MikkelPaulson> needs to be done, but it can be done in half an hour
[23:05] <~MikkelPaulson> however, for the course of this campaign, I think we should move to bi-weekly Federal Council meetings
[23:05] <~MikkelPaulson> maybe more frequent general meetings as well?
[23:05] <~MikkelPaulson> what do you think?
[23:05] <+Nuitari> I think we need to focus on producing promotional materials for use in the campaign and future ones
[23:06] <+Nuitari> and spending about 12h on meetings isn't going to help
[23:06] <+Nuitari> howver having 2 general meetings might be good
[23:07] <~MikkelPaulson> schedule one for the 9th maybe?
[23:07] <~MikkelPaulson> Jeff's candidacy is going to be voted on on the 1st
[23:07] <~MikkelPaulson> then there's the usual 19th
[23:07] <+Nuitari> the vote is 29 ?
[23:07] <~MikkelPaulson> yeah
[23:07] <~MikkelPaulson> nominations close the 8th
[23:08] <+Nuitari> yeah
[23:08] <~MikkelPaulson> mm
[23:09] <~MikkelPaulson> anything else come to mind?
[23:09] <~MikkelPaulson> that's all I've got
[23:09] <~MikkelPaulson> actually make it the 10th, that's halfway between the other two meetings
[23:09] <+Nuitari> we already have 2 meeting with the 1st and the 19
[23:09] <~MikkelPaulson> the Federal Council does, not a general meeting
[23:10] <~MikkelPaulson> and we actually have 3
[23:10] <+Nuitari> who is meeting on the 1st?
[23:11] <~MikkelPaulson> oh sorry
[23:11] <~MikkelPaulson> misread that
[23:11] <~MikkelPaulson> yeah
[23:11] <~MikkelPaulson> it's not technically a general meeting though, just for Jeff's candidacy
[23:11] <~MikkelPaulson> although no doubt we'll be talking election strategy
[23:11] <~MikkelPaulson> I just think the extra meeting would be a good way to keep a bit of volunteer momentum going
[23:12] <+Nuitari> alright
[23:13] <~MikkelPaulson> I'll ask Sean to set it up
[23:13] <~MikkelPaulson> anything else?
[23:14] <+Zblewski> Nope
[23:15] <~MikkelPaulson> okay then, I'll call the meeting adjourned
Also see Minutes and Votelog
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