Ottawa 2012-06-12 newsletter

Dear Ottawa-Area Pirates,

A month has passed since our most recent newsletter, and the time has come to update you once again. In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find:

Ottawa Events Calender
June 2012

June 1st, 9:00 am

Nepean-Carleton Brunch

Hard Stones Grill, 5511 Manotick Main St

June 15th, 9:00am

Nepean-Carleton Brunch

Hard Stones Grill, 5511 Manotick Main St

June 19th, 7:00pm

Ottawa Monthly Meeting

Tim Hortons, Corner of Metcalfe & Slater

June 20th, 8:00pm

PPCA General Meeting

Online Via IRC


 * Several motions will be put on the table during the meeting. It is advised that you review them in advance at http://pira.cc/ZZc
 * Please vote in favour of the request for full financial statements. The party stands for government transparency, but as of this time there is no way to obtain knowledge concerning the party’s financial state.

July 2012

July 6th, 9:00am

Nepean-Carleton Brunch

Hard Stones Grill, 5511 Manotick Main

July 17th, 7:00pm

Ottawa Monthly Meeting

Tim Hortons, Corner of Metcalfe & Slater

July 18th, 8:00pm

PPCA General Meeting

Online via IRC

July 20th, 9:00am

Nepean-Carleton Brunch

Hard Stones Grill, 5511 Manotick Main

A Summary of PPCA Press Released from May 8 – June 11
May 20th – Party Discipline: An Undemocratic Exercise

MP “Bruce Hyer quit the NDP caucus over issues of strict party discipline. Hyer was one of two MPs who voted against the long-gun registry counter to the wishes of their party.” As the Pirate Party of Canada firmly believes that its representatives in Parliament need to represent their constituents first, and their party second, they object to the use of a party whip to punish MPs for standing up for what their riding believes. Read the full release: http://pira.cc/ZZp

June 8th – Pirate Party Condemns Arrest of Controversial Blogger Arthur Topham

“While celebrating Wednesday’s parliamentary vote to repeal the sections of the controversial ‘Human Rights Code’ (HRC) that banned the communication of internet messages that could be nferred as hateful, the Pirate Party of Canada also reminds the nation that it firmly condemns the arrest of citizen journalist and blogger Arthur Topham, and the subsequent ban against updating his website or communicating with his colleagues through e-mail.” The PPCA officially goes on to say that while it does not agree with Topham’s controversial posts, the right to free speech is protected by Section Two of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Read the full release: http://pira.cc/ZZG

June 11th – Pirate Party Condemns Bill C-309 as an Intrusion on Canadian’s Right to Privacy

“While the government charges that criminalizing the hiding of one’s face will lead to increased compliance with authority figures, the Pirate Party has pointed out that Canadians have emphatically shown that they are unwilling to allow the denigration of their civil rights simply because it will make bureaucrats jobs easier.” Echoing the article on Through the Eyes of a Pirate, posted a month earlier (http://pira.cc/ZkF), the PPCA officially stands against the anti-mask law, especially as there are already laws in place dealing with the issue. Read the full release: http://pira.cc/ZZN

A Call for Citizen Journalists/Authors from “Through the Eyes of a Pirate”
“Through the Eyes of a Pirate” (TTEOP) is a journalistic blog examining political events as they affect Canadians and people across the world. The writings tend to take on the view that information is meant to be shared, people are meant to learn and that everyone has a right to learn and grow together in a sustainable environment. Written solely by independent members of the Pirate Party of Canada, TTEOP has the flexibility to speak out on topics not officially covered by the party, and take views that may not be indicative of the party’s leadership or official direction.

TTEOP deals with news topics as they relate to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the International Community. The site has effectively doubled its readership every year since launching in 2007, except for 2009. As the readership continues to grow, the demand for additional articles with greater frequency means it is time to expand and attract additional Citizen Journalists/Authors. Articles are generally between 350 – 700 words and contain at least one 650 x 280 image (either original or licensed under Creative Commons). All articles are released under CC 2.0 BY-NC-ND.

If interested, please contact the editor, editor@shawngray.ca, and provide a short writing sample, your preferred frequency of posting, and a short bio. A recent & clean photograph will also be required should your application be accepted for display on your author page. At this point in time, all positions are strictly volunteer. Those committing to work over the long-term will be invited to form the editorial board which will determine the future direction and any new endeavours that TTEOP may embark upon.

Call for Local Campaign Ideas
Someone’s probably already trademarked “Think Globally, Act Locally”, but that doesn’t take away from the importance of the slogan. Whether we’re looking at Pirate Parties International, or the Pirate Party of Canada, it is the activities that occur on the local level that set the tone nationally and internationally. As such, we are giving a call out for local members to provide some ideas about local campaigns that our local membership with which our local membership can become involved.

To put it short, what would you like to see the PPCA do in Ottawa? How can we get you more involved in making a difference locally? When would you be available to attend meetings, put up flyers, hand out promotional materials, volunteer at information booths, or become involved in a local action? This is your party, and we need you to help shape it. Please send your ideas to shawngray@pirateparty.ca. Any and all ideas will be brought up at the upcoming local meeting so we can start making an impact in the city.

PPCA Candidates Update
In May’s General Meeting, Travis McCrea was affirmed as the candidate for Vancouver Centre. This brings the total number of affirmed candidates for the 42nd General Election up to 3, including David Ascroft of Nepean-Carleton, and Robert McGrath of Ottawa-Orleans.

We are still actively seeking people interested in becoming candidates in the following local ridings:


 * Carleton – Mississippi Mills (Conservative Incumbent)
 * Ottawa Centre (NDP Incumbent)
 * Ottawa South (Liberal Incumbent)
 * Ottawa Vanier (Liberal Incumbent)
 * Ottawa West – Nepean (Conservative Incumbent)

If you or someone you know is interested in championing the PPCA in the 42nd General Election in 2015, please drop in at an Ottawa meeting or contact shawngray@pirateparty.ca.

University & College Club Query
Ottawa is blessed with two universities and a college. This means there is a large student population in the region, with people sympathetic or in agreement with many or all PPCA stances, and provide an excellent source of volunteers. Being able to leverage local students is something that we need to do for the party to grow and affect things locally in the future.

As such, this is a call out to any PPCA members on this list that plan to attend Carleton University, University of Ottawa, or Algonquin College this upcoming fall. All three campuses have active clubs and communities, and this usually includes political clubs. We would like to recruit you to help form a Pirate Party of Canada school club.

The exact requirements for forming a club vary from one place to another, but generally require a certain number of registered students to join the club. We’d like to work with you to develop promotional and informational materials that would assist you in launching your school club, and help get potential founding members together in advance. If this is something you’re interested in, please contact shawngray@pirateparty.ca and we can arrange a time to meet up and take a look at the possibilities.

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