Georgia Straight Publication

“Here there be Pirates” -

We may not have the most serious name in global politics, but the international Pirate Party movement that has been making waves has finally landed on Canadian shores. The Pirate Party of Canada began as a loose network of individuals across the country, and has since begun to catch the eyes of the media.

As per our platform, what we advocate for is not the creation of a freeloading society that can hide behind the veil of the internet, as some would believe. What we wish to achieve is a reasonable balance between the creator and consumer, where a creator does not need to sign with a corporation to compete in a market.

Right now the Pirate Party, consisting of technologists, artists as well as a wide range of other individuals, is fighting to safeguard the individual’s right to privacy, a transparent government, and to stop even more restrictive legislation, that could potentially criminalize close to 90% of the population of Canada, from being passed.

Rightly so, personal privacy is a huge issue around the globe, with net neutrality issues in Australia, and the CCTV fiasco in the UK. Canadians have it pretty good on an international scale, however, that could change quickly, as the Liberals and Conservatives have both previously tabled bills that would destroy the individuals rights to privacy. This is something that the PPoC will not stand for, and are actively fighting against.

As per the Berne Convention, which Canada ratified in 1928, the current length of a copyright term is the life of the creator, plus an additional 50 years. We ask, ‘who does this benefit?’ Not the consumer, and certainly not other artists who may be able to reinvent the copyrighted material.

Honestly, the answer is quite simple, it benefits nobody but the corporations that buy the copyrights, and in fact prevents recreation and innovation by stifling the amount of available creative material.

Open and transparent government is also a big issue with Canada. If we are truly a democracy, then why is it that our administrations see fit to close their doors during discussions, draft international treaties without our consideration, and pander to foreign enterprises at the cost of our rights?

You can help modernize a fair copyright, you can fight for an open government, and you can stand up for your right to privacy.

Please visit http://www.pirateparty.ca to join or email publicrelations@pirateparty.ca for more info.

There is also an open meeting in Vancouver, held at The Grind Cafe on King Edwards and Main on the 19th of each month, the next being September 19th at 6pm