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The Tory Pirate

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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Random Thoughts: Just Not Ready For The Meme Campaigning

8/12/2015

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So today I was at work (I do this a lot these days) and it was fairly quiet. My coworker from the Flooring Department was
visiting my glorious Paint Department. He has been learning how to work in the department in his free time (probably as
part of some plot to supplant me). Anyways, I decided it was time for him to add his name in paint to the old painter's
bench we have laying around. After a rather embarrassing scene where he misspelled his own name I went off to lunch.

This is all backgrounder for what happened next. The joke became that he was Just Not Ready...for the Paint Department.
We all had a chuckle and went back to what we were doing. But thinking back this wasn't the first time someone had
made a similar reference to the Conservative's now-infamous attack ad. While pretty much everyone finds the ads corny
perhaps this is the point? 

It doesn't matter if the ad is being used in a humorous manner it reinforces the original association between Justin
Trudeau and the charge being made by the Conservatives. I'd be interested in the neurology involved in such word
association reinforcement. That the Conservatives have accidentally(?)  created a meme to augment their attacks is
interesting none the less. 

The Liberals may realize that the association that has been created can't be easily undone. In a recent ad Trudeau has
used the phrase but tried to shift the meaning to match his messaging. We will see if he can succeed at this. 
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A Long Campaign Season Would Be Good For The Pirate Party

7/31/2015

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Picture
Well, the rumours are flying that Prime Minister Harper intends
to ask Governor General David Johnston to dissolve Parliament
this Sunday. This would begin the longest election campaign in
Canadian history. It seems clear the Conservatives fully intend to
win by outspending their opponents. While this would be a
rather crass political movement if it occurs it would also be very
good for minor political parties such as the Pirate Party of
Canada. Here's why.

After the last federal election in 2011 the Leader of the Pirate
Party of Canada (with help from the candidates) wrote a report
detailing the party's performance in the election. One issue
that came up was the short time available for gathering the
required signatures to get a candidate's name on the ballot. As a
result several candidates who put their names forward after the
writ had been dropped did not end up on the ballot. However, the end date for candidate nominations (red circle) is based on
voting day (green hexagon) and not the day the election
campaign might officially start (blue triangle). Since people tune
into politics more during an election campaign the party has a
very real chance of topping the number of candidates it fielded
last time.
First Prediction: The Pirate Party will field more than 10
candidates in this election.

While the report noted the party had few resources to support
its candidates with it also noted the effectiveness of door-to-
door canvassing. The Pirate Party really can't count money as a
resource during an election. However, time is a resource the
party can use. And if Prime Minister Harper does engineer a
long campaign the party will have been gifted more than a
month of extra campaigning time. Not only that but campaign
signs purchased by the candidates will be up for that much
longer adding value to limited resources. This all adds up to
larger vote totals come election day.
Second Prediction: The Pirate Party candidates will have a
higher percentage of the popular vote.

A long campaign will be exhausting for everyone. It is going to
be exhausting for voters who are going to be bombarded by
attack ads from all three major parties (maybe the others, who
knows). Attack ads for two months is not likely to give people a
good impression of any of the parties. The Pirate Party (not having the money to attack even if it wanted to) will look
rather respectable by comparison. At the same time reporters are going to have a lot of column inches to fill. We Pirates
have been been very good at hitting above the belt when it comes to getting media attention. Every day extra is a chance
to draw positive attention to the party.
Third Prediction: The Pirate Party will gain a lot more media attention this time around.

None of these observations or predictions means the Pirate Party will actually win a seat. It does mean that while the tory
strategy is cynical to the extreme and an affront to good democratic practice, it isn't necessarily bad for the Pirate Party. 

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A Look At PPCA Policy Development So Far

7/2/2014

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The Pirate Party leadership has been busy working to construct a platform for 2015 over the last year and a half. The creation of the platform is a three step process involving policy submissions by members and the general public, editing by the party leadership, and a party-wide vote to confirm a policy as part of the official platform. The following policies are the first batch that has been approved by the Political Council and will be sent to the membership to be voted on in the near future:
Reduce Copyright Terms
-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.

Unbundle Technology
-We will introduce a requirement that the providers of bundled services, computer software and hardware, price and offer each component individually as well as in a bundle.

Commitment to Local Representation
-The party will avoid the use of whipped votes in Parliament. Instead opting to seek caucus consensus through debate and discussion. 
-The party will for each vote state a recommended way of voting but will not hold its members to it.
End the Copyright Levy
-We will seek to abolish the copyright levy.

Strengthening the Moral Rights of Authors
-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.
Fairness for Independents
-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.
-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. 
-Finally, we would reinstate the ability of independent MPs to introduce significant 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.

There has been general agreement to start with policies that have wide agreement in the party and work our way outwards from there. The Fairness for Independents & Unbundle Technology sections represent two such natural outgrowths from existing party beliefs. 

Many policies remain to be reviewed and it will take dedicated work to have the platform ready by the end of the year. Some policies had to be rejected but this is a normal part of policy development. Canadian Federalism presents a unique challenge in that some areas near and dear to the Pirate heart cannot be adequately addressed at the federal level. The entire process is a learning experience and I look forward to carrying the project to completion.
Q & A

Where are the privacy protection, patent reform, open government, etc policies?
None of the previous policies from 2011 were 'grandfathered in' to the 2015 platform. That is to say, everything is being re-examined. Since the policies mentioned are fairly fundamental to party identity they will end up in the final document in some form, we simply haven't gotten to them yet.

Why didn't you leave policy creation up to the membership? / why did you have the leadership assume a primary role?
Policy development is a tricky business and we wanted a dedicated group involved to make sure the process didn't flounder. There is also the issue involving popular policies that a federal party has little ability to create policy on. We have tried to keep the policy development process as open as possible by having an extended period where members could submit policies (still on-going) and by giving them the final say on whether a policy is adopted.

I saw X policy on the website I really liked but now it has disappeared. What happened? 
Most likely the policy was rejected by the leadership and hidden from view. The discussion page for all policies (rejected, accepted, and yet to be looked at) can be found on the Party Forum. A document listing rejected policies may be released at a later date but for now you can assume it was a policy that fell outside the federal mandate (since this has been the most common reason for rejecting a policy).
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James Wilson for Leader of the Pirate Party of Canada

1/20/2014

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Picture
While I previously posted a short overview of my candidacy on the party
forums I figured I would also make something a bit more comprehensive. Since
I've wanted to start a blog for awhile now it works out well. Several things I'm
going to go over won't be any surprise to people. Others might be. Either way I
hope people will have a better idea who I am and where I stand on the
issues.

Some basic info: 
I'm 25 years of age. I born and raised in Albert County, New Brunswick. I
have a degree from Mount Allison University. I'm a Baptist Christian although I
will attend what Christian churches are readily available to me.

Pirate Policy:
> I'm of the school of thought that intellectual property laws can be
eliminated completely without harmful effect. However, I prefer this elimination
be done in stages with the party's policy of a 10 year copyright being a good
first step.
> Provided a basic income can be shown to be fiscally responsible I support it
as a replacement for current welfare programs.
> I am a strong supporter of openness, accountability & transparency in
government. OATs for short.  :)
> Loosening party discipline and increasing MP independence are fundamental to
a healthy democracy, I feel.
> I feel the current policy document goes too far in messing with provincial
jurisdiction on some points. A prime example being the National Minimum Wage
policy which the courts declared unconstitutional in the 1930s.
> The blank media levy needs to disappear.

Political Beliefs Unrelated to the Party:
> I am a strong supporter of Canada's constitutional monarchy and believe it a
government form inherently superior to that of a republic.
> I believe that human life possesses boundless potential and that bringing an
end to that potential is among the worst things that can be done by an
individual or the state. As such I oppose murder, assisted suicide, the death
penalty, and abortion. 
> As far as defence policy goes I'm in favour of an armed neutrality.
 

2 Comments

    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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