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The Tory Pirate

Somewhat Late Musings On Election 2015

10/22/2015

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My internet picks the worst times to stop working. As a result I was without internet for the lead up and aftermath of
election 2015. But I'm back online and ready to give my thoughts on Monday's election results.

Fundy Royal Goes Liberal

I never imagined I'd see the day when the riding of Fundy Royal would elect a Liberal. Further, I never imagined I'd be
happy about it. I took the time to contact each MP during the campaign (and met many of them in person) and it was
Liberal candidate Alaina Lockhart who impressed me the most. Accessible, willing to listen, and pleasant to talk to she
passed the fundamental first test of any candidate: do they listen. This is especially important considering I have never
found former MP Rob Moore to be all that communicative. Numerous emails (both mine and others) were left
unanswered. And he was the only candidate not to get back to me with answers to my policy inquires. Both the NDP and
Green candidates were pretty good at getting back to me but both held opinions I found troublesome. I look forward to
​seeing what Alaina does with the opportunity that has been given to her.
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The 'Change' Election That Really Wasn't

Canada now has a strong majority government under the Liberal Party, A solid opposition in the Conservative Party, a
New Democratic Party returned to its natural place in third, and a bit of random detritus rounding out the final few seats.
While those with short memories will find this a novel change it actually looks like a return to the Third Party System. Is
this return to two national parties duking it out while a strong third party challenges both a permanent change? Who
knows, ask me again after the next election. The fact is that the last ten+ years have been confusing for political scientists.
Was it a continuation of the fourth party system or a realignment in how parties relate to each other and the electorate?
We just don't know. Canada has traditionally had predictable elections punctuated by realignments that fundamentally
changed the system. It may well be that you could count the last few elections as a slow motion realignment. Or maybe
​the framework of how the Canadian Party Systems have been classified is no longer useful.

Oh sure, the policy platforms are different but at a structural level this election is a return to the past.

Peter Stoffer & Pat Martin Defeated

Two NDP defeats that surprised many was that of Peter Stoffer and Pat Martin. Both were expected to coast to victory.
Of the two I consider Peter Stoffer to be the greater lose. Peter was a dedicated, hardworking MP who was a consistent
voice on the left in favour of the monarchy. Peter Stoffer, you will be missed. On the other hand we have Pat Martin
who's foul-mouthed outbursts are well known. He is also a republican of the worse sort and I shed no tears over his
departure.

The Tories Remain In A Good Position

An Official Opposition with one hundred seats and a decent share of the popular vote is not a terrible place to be at.
Previous Conservative defeats have left the party broken (and broke). Neither is the case this time around. The Tories
have a pretty good lineup of potential leadership candidates. If I have a concern it is this: the PC wing of the party took the most damage in this fight. And while it will most likely be rebuilt after the next election I fear it being rebuilt in the
image of western discontent. We'll see.

On a more meta level the Conservative defeat has buried talk of the left uniting. While the Conservatives might like to
believe they would hold power more often under a two-party, left-right system I am less convinced. A situation where the
left splits every third or fourth election is a recipe for governing more often, not less. 

And then there are economic considerations. Canada has a housing bubble, China's economy is slowing, and Europe has
not fixed its structural issues that led to the Greece Default Crisis. In short, the next four years are not likely to be clear
​sailing on the economic front. And if the Liberals falter the Conservatives will be returning to power real quick.

​Much like the Liberals in the 1930s, the Conservatives may find themselves glad to have lost this one.

The Pirate Party Needs To Reflect

There is no sugar-coating things; the Pirate Party did not perform well. It ran 5 candidates (down from 10 in 2011) and got
900 votes (down from 3000 in 2011). While this may well be a national trend (most other minor parties lost votes) the
Pirate Party needs to reflect on its role going forward. As a former leader of the party I can say with some authority that
party organization and volunteer retention is lackluster at its best. It needs to improve.

It is also true that if some of the minor parties joined together they would at least have a shot at relevancy. Perhaps a 
​thought for the future?
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The NDP "is not planning any changes to our current form of the parliamentary system" 

10/3/2015

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It is not often I get to talk about issues related to the monarchy on this blog. I mostly keep that on the other blog I write
for. However the Monarchist League of Canada recently surveyed the main federal parties on their views towards the
Canadian Monarchy. One of the answers was curious though. The NDP's reply was thus:
"The NDP is not planning any changes to our current form of the parliamentary system. Our
focus is on meeting the challenges of middle-class families for better 
jobs, affordable
childcare and reliable healthcare."
Now there are a few things to address here. First, yes they are. The NDP has stated that if elected they will abolish the
Senate which, last I checked, was still a part of our parliamentary system. Now, it could be that the NDP means they have
no plans over the next four years. Senate reform is complex and some feel it could take anywheres from 5 to 10 years to
abolish the Senate completely. So the answer is either less than truthful or very limited in scope.

​The second issue with the response is the fact that it doesn't mention either the monarchy or the sovereign. Giving an
answer to a question without referring to the topic of said question is...odd. More odd when you consider that had the
NDP wrote that they weren't planning any changes to Canada's 'constitutional monarchy', rather than 'parliamentary
system', they could have avoided any potential confusion.

​The third issue is the entire second sentence. It is nice to know the NDP is focusing on these issues but it has nothing to
do with the question asked. Whether you can read a sentiment of "why are you bothering us with this?" into their reply
depends on what you think about the NDP to begin with.

Finally there's the quality of this response compared to all the other ones. Frankly, it was the worst of all four responses.
The Conservative Party have a solidly supportive reply. This is to be expected. While nice to see, for a variety of reasons I
can't vote for them. The Green Party reply is interesting as it merely points to Elizabeth May's comments in the House of
Commons back in 2012. Not that I mind this as to my knowledge it is the most supportive speech ever given for the Canadian Monarchy on the floor of the House of Commons. Indeed, I've not had a problem with Mrs. May's views on the
monarchy. However, the Green Party candidates I've talked to are a different matter. It makes voting Green a very risky
proposition. The Liberal response is the second on the issue I've seen from the Liberals since Justin Trudeau took over as
leader. I had a hand in getting the first one from Justin only a year after he took over as leader (I actually tried to get his
views during the leadership race but, alas, he probably had a lot of correspondence). Here is what he wrote in reply: 
"At the 2012 Liberal Party Convention, delegates were invited to introduce, debate, and vote
on Liberal policy. Delegates explicitly rejected a motion to include severing Canada's ties with
the monarchy as part of Liberal policy. My view is that severing our centuries-old connection
to the monarchy is not a decision to be made lightly. The monarchy remains a cornerstone of
Canada's foundation, and any debate surrounding changes to this institution must include as
many Canadians as possible in the discussion.
"
The more recent quote is more clearly supportive. Now, I take any statement made during an election campaign with a
grain of salt but since the local Liberal candidate has also been positive on this issue it seems I will be voting Liberal this
time around. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.
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Pirate Party TV Spot

9/21/2015

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The Pirate Party recently released its campaign ad. In what is probably a unique strategy in this campaign it attacks no
one, ignores superficial fluff, and goes in depth into an aspect of the party platform. In short its a model of what all the
parties should have used their ads for during this super long election: informed Canadians. Enjoy.
Find a political ad from this election that does more to inform Canadians and I will eat my tricorne hat.
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The Pirate Party's Live Blog of the Debate

9/21/2015

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Not having received an invitation to participate in the Globe Economy Debate (assumably lost in the postal system) the
Pirate Party of Canada decided to live blog their own answers to the questions asked. The following is the transcript
taken from the party website.

Question 1: Jobs
Canada is facing structural, rather than cyclical change. Do you have a
job plan, beyond taking things out of the ground?

Yes, Pirate Party is about the future. Our Mincome or Basic Income Guarantee would provide an ongoing natural stimulus to the economy. It will decentralize our economy moving it from monopolistic structure to thriving small businesses. It is long term and does not involve constant government intervention. It will redirect hundreds of billions of corporate subsidy that did not create job, into empowering the people and grassroot entrepreneurs and innovators.

Retort to the leader's response:
No concrete plans for job creation mentioned by all 3 leaders than desired results.

Question 2: Energy & Environment
In the last campaign, the NDP put a cost of $21 billion on its carbon-
pricing policy. What is the cost of your planned cap-and-trade proposal?

We need to move toward a new information and new energy economy. This would mean ensuring our patent laws cannot be used to stifle competition. For example, an oil company should not be able to buy a patent to hoard it and prevent cheap advance battery technology from being used for new affordable and more efficient electric car. Canada have no shortage of innovative people and company. The government have a duty to make sure those individual or group can innovate freely. Our plan involved creating a Nationwide Research Collection Centre (NRCC) that would link researchers and agencies across the country. Through innovation we can progressively move toward a new socio-economic order that is sustainable. But if the government continue to extend patent and copyright terms to satisfy
their cronies and lobbyists, innovation and creativity suffers.

Retort to leader's responses:
We should avoid raising taxes unless absolutely necessary. We cannot sacrifie environmental safety to put all our egg in one economic basket. Basic Income or BIG combined with patent and copyright reform would let the private sectors move our country forward. It will empower Canadians NOT the lobbyist and monopolist.

Question 3: Infrastructure
You are committed to taking us into deficit to fund your infrastructure
plan. Spending money is an easy promise. What does success look like?

Success is when people are able to chart their own future and dreams without relying on a government to tell them specifically what they are or aren't allowed to do. Short term deficits are okay, but the billions of dollars in deficits better have an exit plan.With our Basic Income Guarantee plan or B.I.G. it will eliminate approximately $180 billion in wasted money on an ineffective welfare system bureaucracy and payout. That is more money available for infrastructure.
We need to give the municipalities a permanent source of revenue aside from property taxes, tickets, and the obsolete exorbitant license cost for taxis. Municipalities are the heart and soul of a nation and they must be empowered to create a community according to their vision. One way of doing that is through infrastructure bonds.
Infrastructure bonds can help fund the creation of zero or low-emission transportation which will increase mobility, interconnectedness and access to businesses throughout a community. By funding and using bicycle lanes, for example, people will become healthier, thereby decreasing costs to health care, and will have more spending money as a result of using a more cost-efficient mode of transportation. Decentralization can be good for physically building our nation. Top down micromanagement has been shown not to work for infrastructure, as our deteriorating roads, bridges, and sewage treatment plants demonstrate.

Retort to leader's responses:
We need to empower the provinces and municipalities. Listen to ideas and feedback from the grassroot and work with them. Federal government dictating everything and micromanaging how money should be spent have not worked.

Question 4: Immigration and the Economy
All parties agree immigration is central to Canada’s long-term economic strategy. What is the right balance between economic migrants and those seeking family reunification?

Immigrants should not be feared. Great nations were build by immigrants. U.S. opening up its country to immigrants made it a great vibrant nation. It sickens Canadians when they saw Aylan Kurdi's young body lying on the beach and caused outraged when we realized our government turned them away even though there is already a sponsor willing to take them in. As General Rick Hillier has said, We should stop being afraid of our own shadow. There is a way to screen them and gets them here this year. The Vietnamese refugees that we took in have become productive members of our country not only as workers but entrepreneurs. Canada has had a strong history of immigration. Pier 21 in Halifax hosted a generation of immigrants. We are the 2nd largest country in the world for land, but most of it is empty. It is time we put those lands to good use.

Question 5: Housing
Canadians have been on a borrowing binge to buy ever more expensive homes. What would you do to guard against a housing bubble?

Number one cause of housing bubble is when speculation ran rampant. Government should also not interfere to encourage people to prop up a real estate market and stock market to make the economy looks better than it actually is. Instead we need a longer term less interventionist policy. A new socio-economic order through Basic Income Guarantee. This will prevent U.S. style subprime mortgage and China's government enticing their people to prop up their stock market until it crashes. 
Our government should study the effectiveness of Land Value Tax in controlling wild speculation and minimize housing bubble. It will also encourages productive use of land and prevent housing shortages.
We must support our municipalities. Although we are open to restoring the Federal GST by up to 2% in order to give municipalities a permanent revenue source, we think Infrastructure Bonds are a much better route. By utilizing these bonds, municipalities could find the funds that they require to fix their roads and bridges, upgrade their fire departments and police stations, and maybe even build a sewage treatment plant or stadium. With interest being paid to the Canadians that purchased the bonds, this would lead not only to more work, but also more money being spent within the community. The wave of economic benefits is undeniable.

Retort to leader's question:
Minimum wage won't fix poverty. Mincome or BIG would. Renovation tax credits and constant increases in tax credits during election is not sustainable. We can create a drastic improvement in our society. By axing $600 billions of corporate subsidies (approximate cost so far over 30 years or ~ $22 billion per year) in combination with the elimination of boutique tax credits, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and a welfare system unable to make a difference, we can afford to implement our BIG idea. We can have a Basic Income Guarantee that provides the buffer necessary for people from all walks of life to live with dignity. As a cushion, people will be more inclined to take a risk on a new business, move to a new city in search of work, or take the step from renting to owning. Our BIG idea will give our economy a BIG push in the right direction, and everyone will be better for it. 

Question 6: Taxation
You will raise the corporate tax rate from the current 15% to 17% What economic, rather than political, reason justifies your decision?

We reject the false duality of being pro- or anti-corporation. Many small businesses, who are the bulk of job-creators in our country, are setup as corporations in order to take advantage of the legal protections that type of business gains. Building a business from the ground up requires a lot of energy and money. It will be greatly unfair and frightening for prospective entrepreneur that one mistake could not only ruin their business, but also take away their home, their car, and every penny they’ve ever earned. 
However, it is also greatly unfair for few companies to engage in corruption, conflicts of interest, and lobbying so they can have an industry clutched within its stranglehold. Since it has become apparent, and recognized by economists, that corporate subsidies do not create jobs, we would redirect those money to invest in ways that will actually benefit Canadians. Our corporate tax rate must remain competitive with other countries, without being exceptionally low. We need to implement a wide range of patent & copyright reform to ensure the development of an Open Market with fair competition. 
Our current economic structure and copyright and patent laws encumbered innovation and propagation of culture. It encourages monopoly, cartel, hoarding of creative works and innovation. Big companies hoards the money instead of creating jobs and expanding or innovating like small businesses tends to do to remain competitive. This is what Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney referred to as the "dead money".

Retort to leader's responses on taxation:
We should ask how do we make our economy sustainable? Political tax credits announced every election complicates the tax system and adds to government cost. It is time to do away with all that and implement a simpler but effective solution through Basic Income Guarantee. There is a continuous need to raise taxes because of this growing complication in our budget. Political boutique tax credits are unfocused, insufficient and does not solve what it claims to solve. BIG on the other hand would prevent senior's poverty, child poverty, disabled and unemployable economic hardship, and the list goes on and on. And it can all be done in a focused and more efficient ways at a much lower cost. 

Leader’s debate on: Creating a New Economy

Mulclair talks about knowledge based economy but no concrete plans on how to achieve that. We cannot have a vibrant knowledge and information economy without copyright and patent reform. Trudeau claim his plan would help the family. Talks about deficit spending. But no indication of how to sustain growth after spending is done. Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) on the other hand will ensure there is a natural and continous stimulus for our economy. Canadians spending for their basic necessities while eliminating economic poverty. 
While candidates likes to use the term "middle class", we cannot neglect the increasingly large portion of the population that make up the working poor. Precarious, temporary and casual jobs have created a lack of job security that is starting to become a drag on our economy. Some people are able to work longer hours to make ends meet, but most can only find casual, part time, or temporary employment. Poverty from the working poor is a huge burden to our society costing us at least $72 billion from a heavily strained health care system, an overburdened criminal justice system and numerous hours of lost productivity. Add the $185 billion price tag that comes with welfare and its supporting bureaucracy, and it becomes easy to see where prior governments have thrown good money after bad. There is a simpler and more efficient fix that will provide economic security for ALL Canadians. It is a called Basic Income Guarantee or BIG.
Politicians rarely talk about poverty and avoid campaigning in poor neighbourhoods, but the problem will not go away and it is leading to increased mental health issues and encourages a growth in crime. Our BIG idea will make sure everyone has a cushion to help provide them with the necessities, like food and housing, while making it possible for people to live a decent life. 

You cannot talk about economy without even mentioning poverty. 

Post-Debate Statement on: How to make Canada a world leader on democracy and economy.

This election, you need to ask yourself “Which party has policies that are good for Canada?”, “What would you like Canadian lawmakers to implement?”, “How will these policies affect me and my family?” We believe that the Pirate Party of Canada has the right mix of policies to truly make a difference in the lives of Canadians from Coast to Coast to Coast.

With health care costs always on the rise, and our innovation & economy stagnating, we need to make some major changes. A Basic Income Guarantee will reduce government size, decrease government waste, and help Canadians right across the country get ahead, get educated, and start their own businesses. By altering Industrial Protectionism laws to reduce copyright and patent monopolies, we can spur industrial and cultural innovation. Through the construction of a Nationwide Research Collection Centre, we can develop all sorts of new materials, ideas, and methods that will benefit our economy and our way of living. The Pirate Party of Canada has a plan that will decrease health care costs, spur innovation, and electrify our economy.

Canada is lucky to have a great set of rights and freedoms, but these have been slowly stripped away under the guise of increased security. Without our rights and freedoms, what is all that security actually protecting? The Pirate Party of Canada will start by repealing C-51, and then we will strengthen your rights and freedoms, provide you with a better voice in government, and give you the ability to hold your local representative to account for their actions. We will find ways to increase Canada’s digital security, without stripping away your ability to learn, to grow, to innovate, and to be free. The Pirate Party of Canada will stand up for your rights and freedoms.

The world has changed, and continues to change no matter how hard other parties might try to keep us mired in the past. It’s time for Canada to be at the forefront of that change. We need to embrace our diversity, leverage our research and technology, and build a better tomorrow. This year at the ballot box, take back your government by voting for the Pirate Party of Canada.
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Pirate Party Platform Spotlight (Part 4):Supporting Local Representation

8/24/2015

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A common complaint that the electorate has year-after-year is that MPs do not represent them. As party discipline has
tightened into a stranglehold it has, in effect, made it impossible for MPs to represent their constituents' views in
Parliament. The Pirate Party rejects this model of how a party should be run. Fundamentally we see a political party as
an alliance of equals with shared values.
"The party will avoid the use of whipped votes in Parliament. Instead opting to seek caucus consensus through debate and discussion."
No person matches their party's policy platform exactly. Because of this leeway must be given to those with differing
views. The Pirate Party is committed to reaching a consensus on issues through debate and discussion, not oppression
and fear.
"The party will for each vote state a recommended way of voting but will not hold its members to it."
This is actually a rather common tradition within British parliamentary culture but completely unknown in Canada. It is
time we started loosening the chains of party discipline. Not only will parliamentary debate improve but constituents will
finally have better representation.

There are those who say this model is impossible. I have found this view often espoused by the NDP who have made it a
habit of whipping votes when there is absolutely no reason to. I am rather suspicious of parties that do not tolerate 
dissent. Contrary to NDP claims there is a better way.
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Pirate Party Platform Spotlight (Part 3): Fairness For Independents

8/21/2015

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Every election people across Canada seek to be elected as independents. Independents face a number of hurdles not
shared by their party-nominated cousins. Obviously, they do not benefit from party brand management and national advertising. Perhaps more unfair is the requirement that all money raised by independent candidates be forfeited to
Elections Canada after the election, forcing them to start over next time. The Pirate Party of Canada believes that this
inherent unfairness is both harmful to democracy and easily fixed.
"We propose allowing independent candidates to raise funds in the two months leading up to a scheduled general election provided the candidate submits the names of their official agent and their auditor to Elections Canada beforehand. Should the independent candidate receive a party's nomination, they must hand over all money raised during this period to Elections Canada. All funds will be subject to the same reporting rules as those raised during the election itself."
Parties can raise funds for years before an election. It seems only fair to give independent candidates a small head start
in raising funds for their campaign. However, safeguards must be taken to prevent this from becoming another way for a
party to raise funds or for a candidate to raise money under false pretenses.
"Additionally, we propose a new system by which money raised by independent candidates before the end of an election will instead be held in trust by Elections Canada until the next Federal election. If the person runs again as an independent candidate, the money that is held in trust will be returned to them for use in their campaign. If the person decides not to run at all or runs as a candidate under a party banner, the money held in trust will be forfeited to Elections Canada in whole. All interest accrued from money held by Elections Canada in this manner will belong to Elections Canada."
Having Elections Canada hold onto money between elections makes running as an independent less of an all-or-nothing
proposition and may encourage more independents to run. For its part Elections Canada gains a stable source of funding
independent of Parliament from accrued interest. While the amount will be modest early on it is hoped as independent candidates start seeing that they can compete on a more even playing field the amount of money parked with Elections Canada will grow.
"Finally, we would reinstate the ability of independent MPs to introduce amendments at a bills report stage. As independent MPs do not currently get a vote on committees, this would allow for a more fair playing field."
Once elected independent candidates face further hurdles in Parliament. For many years independent MPs possessed
special privileges related to a bills Report Stage. These privileges were removed by the Conservatives.

Democracy benefits from multiple viewpoints and everyone who seeks elected office should have a fair shake.
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Pirate Party Platform Spotlight (Part 2): Mincome

8/20/2015

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Poverty is an ongoing and tragic failure of Canadian governance. It has been an issue for so long that it is suspected the
major parties no longer believe they can truly solve the issue. The Pirate Party of Canada does not embrace such ugly
defeatism. But what is the solution? It obviously isn't the current host of welfare programs since they have done nothing
to end poverty and may in fact be contributing to keeping people in poverty. The Pirate Party feels that solving the
poverty issue is both achievable and less expensive than relying on a failed welfare system. Here's how: 
Picture
The graphic above details the costs associated with various government programs. Our current welfare system costs us
$185 Billion each year through payouts and administration costs. Mincome (or Guaranteed Annual Income, or Basic
Income) is essentially a series of payouts to Canadians throughout the year based on nothing more than their status as
citizens. In short it is not a means tested program. The payouts would ensure that everyone in Canada received $20,000
over the course of a year. Mincome would costs a paltry $50 Billion when compared to current welfare spending. So how
would it be implemented?

Step one would be to abolish all welfare programs (I think I just heard a progressive faint somewheres) and replace them
with Mincome. It really is that simple. An experiment conducted in Dauphin, Manitoba highlights some of the gains
from switching over: 1. People still worked. Its rather cliche to say that if you received a free payout you'd stop working.
However, what if there was incentive to work? Welfare provides to such incentive. If earning a dollar more resulted in a
loss of a dollar in benefits there is no logical reason to work. Mincome is different in that, since benefits are not 
progressively taxed, any money earned is an actual increase in your wealth. 2. Less people dropped out of school. The
need to provide for your family is one of the main reasons teenagers drop out of high school. Mincome lessens this
motivation. 3. Healthcare costs fell. Medications for depression, stress, and accidental injury fell. The threat of losing your house/car/etc has a powerful effect on your mental health. Since medication is healthcare's most expensive attribute it
is likely that the $140 Billion in savings detailed earlier is just the tip of the iceberg.

Mincome is an idea whose time has come. Its not even an idea the Left and Right have much to disagree on. Consider the
following ideology points:

The Left

-Eliminates poverty without having to raise taxes.
-Improves healthcare without having to greatly
increase funding.
-Would encourage more to seek education.

The Right

-Eliminates the welfare bureaucracy without
impoverishing thousands.
-Greatly reduces the size of government without loss of
service.
-Would put Canada firmly in balanced budget territory.
While the Green Party has a similar proposal, it is the Pirate Party which has consistently promoted this idea. Mincome is
an idea too good to hide in the back of a policy document and we will fight to have it implemented. 
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Pirate Party Platform Spotlight (Part 1): Intellectual Property Reform

8/19/2015

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Picture
Welcome to the Pirate Party Platform Spotlight where I explain a selected planks
from the party's 2015 election platform (since I highly doubt the media will). Ok, lets
get this over with.

What's with the attitude? Well, the Pirate Party of Canada is hopelessly typecast. If
people are aware of the Pirate Party they already know it opposes intellectual property
law but absolutely nothing else about it. So covering this aspect of the party's platform
both potentially feeds the public's erroneous perception of the party as being 'single
issue' and completely necessary if its economic outlook is to be understood. 

But enough rambling.   

"We will shorten copyright terms from the current length of the author's lifetime +50 years to a more economically justifiable length of 10 years from the date of publication. 
Copyright owners will be granted the ability to commit their works to the public domain permanently at any time."
There is no evidence that the current length of copyright is justifiable. There is in fact little in the way of evidence that copyright and patents are needed at all. However, the Pirate Party of Canada recognizes that intellectual property laws didn't get as bad as they are in a day. It stands to reason that doing away with them too quickly could provoke a backlash
that leads to their re-establishment. So the party has made shortening copyright terms to 10 years the first target to aim for. Most members feel the abolishment of copyright (and patents) should be the ultimate aim. For more information
on why intellectual property is harmful check out Against Intellectual Monopoly by Prof.s Boldrin and Levine.
"We will establish a system of automatic licences for copyright and patents. Innovators will be able to pay a flat fee for the right to use works of intellectual property held by another. This is similar to the provisions made for ‘cover songs’ in the music industry. As the intellectual property holders will not be able to reject an automatic licence request we will set the royalties received from sales of products using their intellectual property at a level above the market rate as a means of compensation. License fees for intellectual property whose owner is not known (known as ‘orphaned works’ in copyright) will be paid to the government. The government will hold onto the payment until the intellectual property holder is identified."
Copyright and patent laws encourage permission culture which hampers innovation. By making the use of other's
intellectual property streamlined innovation is increased and sped up. The automatic licence is of particular use to
inventors who lack the business knowledge to market/produce their invention. These licenses would also greatly reduce
the barrier to entry present in certain industries (tech companies for instance).
"All government copyright (“crown copyright”) will be released under a Creative Commons Non-commercial licence."
It stands to reason that works created with taxpayer's money belong to the taxpayer's and that they should have the right
to use these works. The United States commits every federal government publication to the public domain with no
harm to anyone.
"An artist has the right to have their work attributed to them when used by another where it is reasonable to do so unless this right is waived by the artist. An artist has the right not to be associated with beliefs they find offensive through third party use of their work. A third party may be required, at the request of the artist, to include a disclaimer dissociating the artist from the third party using their work. The moral rights of an artist last for the lifetime of an artist. These rights may not be transferred to another but they may be permanently renounced if the artist chooses to do so."
While the economic and social aspects of copyright are widely seen as harmful, the moral rights of artists to attribution
should be protected.
"We will seek to abolish the copyright levy"
The Copyright Levy is a tax on all blank media (CDs, Cassette tapes, etc) designed to compensate artists for 'losses' due to digital piracy. This policy actually garnered the most positive reception of any single policy the party has adopted (proving that no matter who they are Canadians hate taxes). For starters the money levied doesn't go to the government but instead to a private organization. The manner this organization distributes the money it receives has been criticized
as unfair as it ignores minor artists. Finally, the tax falls heavily on those who use blank media (the aforementioned minor
artists) and largely doesn't affect pirates.

Ok, done. Next time I start on the 90% of the platform I didn't cover today.
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    James Wilson

    Likes: Government Transparency, Constitutional Monarchy, Politics

    Dislikes: Political Dishonesty, Canadian Republicans, Intellectual Property

    Ambivalent Towards: Pears, the Green Party 

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