User:Zblewski/Elizabeth May Reply

(in reply to http://www.straight.com/article-247597/elizabeth-may-and-griffin-carpenter-canada-needs-principled-approached-copyright)

I happen to be one of the people helping to form the Pirate Party in Canada. I'm proud to say that since the June victory in the European Parliament, we have jumped from 3 people sitting and waiting for something to happen at the Pirate Party International website, to where we now stand, at a full website of our own with a few hundred registered users discussing how we can bring copyright reform and greater technological freedoms to our nation. We've started our march to registration, and we are going to reach that goal in the near future.

However, your party, while trying to exhibit their own views on copyright, has not brought significant policy forward. This is no time to settle for generalities, with the current government threatening us with the possibility of draconian measures introduced in places such as China or Australia. The Pirate Party wants to bring together a full set of policies to combat that possibility. The comments made by screenshot highlight this. Furthermore, you picture our group as part of your own movement, as if we were just a part of your party. I would like to clarify this:

1. It is true that the Pirate Party of Sweden (Piratpartiet) chose to sit in Parliament allied with the Green-EFA Alliance. But, as RG75 eloquently pointed out, Pirate Party International (our version of your Global Greens International) is but an informal cluster of newly birthed parties, that is just gaining momentum. There are Green-EFA member seats which don't have any alignment with the policies of the Green Party of Europe or the European Free Alliance, and that's where the Piratpartiet sits. Additionally I want to add: The Green-EFA Alliance actually does have a coherent copyright policy, and more than one ACTIVE campaign regarding software and copyright. Piratpartiet and the Canadian Pirate Party remain bloc-independent on other issues.

2. It is always welcome to see concern from parties about these issues, and that is something we want to foster. And it's also of great benefit to us that you use your voice to mention us in your press, and we truly appreciate that. But as of today, we have not had any representative of the Green Party - not a single member - come to us to discuss anything, no partnership, no consultations, no discussing the issues. And that is something which needs to change. It seems as if you are eager to mention how we sit on the issues, but it seems to be a one-sided affair at the moment.

I am inviting officials of your party - officially, on behalf of the Pirate Party of Canada - to come and share some discussion on the issues and forging a relationship. Send us a message at publicrelations@pirateparty.ca.

Thank you.