Distorted 08' election wrap up

I must admit watching the election was a bit different this year. Traditionally I see names scroll across the screen that mean almost nothing to me. Only the seats and percentage mattered. Not so this year. I met and paid attention to MPs and they became not just names but people.

Thus we arrive at my distorted round up.

Minority government: Yay
Rona Ambrose Elected: Boooooo
James Rajotte Elected: Yay
Laurie Hawn Elected: Yay
Charlie Angus Elected: Cheers!
Hedy Fry Elected: Duly noted.
Linda Duncan Elected: I have mixed feelings on this. It is no secret that I like the NDP but I did enjoy the meeting I had with Rahim Jaffer. He seemed like a pretty good MP. Did the Conservatives stance on copyright loose Rahim Jaffer the race? Either way I have more MPs to meet.

Rona Ambrose

Sometimes I question why I am so hard on Rona Ambrose.. then I remember I am her constituent. In theory she should at least try to see what her constituents think. This is a stark contrast to Laurie Hawn who has no reason to meet with me. I'm just some guy running around proclaiming himself to be Fair Copyright for Canada - Edmonton Chapter founder and yet he met with me as have others.

So, why have I gone off the "Boo Rona Ambrose" deep end again? Let me try to explain.

Here is a quote from James Rajotte's canned letter response to Bill C-61.

"For your information, Bill C-61 is at the second reading stage in the House of Commons. Debate at this level is over the principle of the bill rather than a specific examination of every clause contained in the bill...I support Bill C-61 in principle, but I am ready and willing to listen to your views."

I could go into detail and describe why I like this canned letter response to Bill C-61 but I think it speaks for its self. I have met with James Rajotte and I believe it when he says he is "ready and willing to listen".

Lets take a look at the canned letter Rona Ambrose sent out to me today.

"The bill clarifies that consumers will now be able to record television shows for later viewing (time shifting); copy legally acquired music onto other devices such as MP3 players or cellphones; and make backup copies of legally acquired books, newspapers, videocassettes and photographs onto devices they own (format shifting). Furthermore, the bill has set new limitations on statutory damages, so individuals would be liable for a fixed amount of $500 if they have infringed copyright for private use, provided that the material is not protected by a technological measure (TM or digital lock). Individuals may still be liable for other types of damages or remedies."

It reads like a freaking PR campaign. That letter is so filled with half truths it makes me rage. That is comming for a guy that almost never gets angry.

That quote is the reason why I meet MPs. I have to go around to make sure people understand the actual effects of Bill C-61 and shed full light on the supposed clarifications.

The Rona Ambrose scheduling manager has yet to contact me even though they say he/she would. I would still like a meeting just so she has the opportunity to see what I see in Bill C-61. I doubt it will ever happen though.

I am going to write a reply to that canned letter and post it here but I am unable to do so now due to my shear outrage.

Excuse me as I need to find a box of cute puppies stat.

Meetings Round 2

After a second Fair Copyright for Canada - Edmonton Chapter meeting we were off to a couple more meetings. Ian and David both joined me for the next couple meetings.

Laurie Hawn's meeting was first thing in the morning so I arrived early to grab a cup of coffee at the nearest coffee shop. Who else did I see there but Laurie Hawn himself having a cup of coffee. He greeted me and in a subtle manner showed he wanted to relax and enjoy his coffee.

I don't know.. I'm just a fan of those quite moments of understanding. No more explanation was required. I had my cup of coffee and read the paper untill it was time for the meeting.

Laurie Hawn once again listened to our concerns and taught us more on how the committee process worked.

The James Rajotte meeting also went well. It made me happy when I brought up a specific example and James Rajotte was able to say with the utmost honesty he was working on it and described how he was working on it.

The Rona Ambrose second meeting.... was still non-existent. They say the scheduling manager would get in touch with me. I have not seen it yet.

I figured that was it for this round of meetings. I would perhaps try and get a meeting with Rahim Jaffer if I felt motivated enough but otherwise done.

I then opened my inbox one day and saw this subject line 5 times in a row "URGENT!! Bill C-61 Assistance required"

Apparently, once again, I was not done.

Second Laurie Hawn's Town Hall

By this time I got used to town halls. That is not to say it isn't important to go town halls but I was less energetic this time around. Apparently, Bill C-51 and Natural Health Product Regulation is a hot issue. News to me.

A few good things came out of Laurie Hawn's Town Hall. First, we got another meeting with Laurie Hawn since we had an actual bill to poke holes in. Secondly, the idea for action papers was born. If a bill makes it to committee I hear action papers would be a useful layout not to mention it makes it easy to show people line by line how a bill is bad. The following is how a action paper is laid out. All it takes is a few of these papers and you have some great cannon fodder for meetings.


00.(0.0) Start out with a example by quoting a section of the bill you believe needs to be corrected or kept. This section will be the core of the action paper

(b) If you are quoting multiple subsections make sure to indent them to make it more readable to humans.

The first paragraph is the introduction. This is a broad statement about why this section either helps or hurts people. If the section of the quoted bill hurts a group of people specifically like librarians make sure to point it out.

The next paragraph I try and use a example of where the quoted section comes into play

The following paragraphs I explain why the quoted section of the bill needs to be kept, changed, or removed. I try and keep each action paper to a page which means sometimes it is necessary to do action papers based on one subsection.

00.(0.0) I try to end with a reworded quote from a section of the bill fixing the problem you just pointed out. The rewording doesn't have to be "lawyer quality". The main idea of this is to just to get a point across.

Meetings

I believe about 4 to 5 of us went to the Laurie Hawn meeting in his office. Laurie Hawn was the first to admit he did not understand the full depth of the technological issues but he was still willing to listen. If Laurie Hawn was my MP I would be happy. His Town Halls should be a example to other MPs.

I then scheduled and went to a meeting for James Rajotte - The Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Industry. One other joined me for this meeting. We talked about some of my specific fears for bill C-61 as well as other technological issues including Bell Canada which just started making waves. A meeting I was once again satisfied with.

Meeting with my own MP.. Rona Ambrose is apparently a multi-step process. I first had a meeting with Debra Bain the Constituency Office Manager. I guess I passed the screening and Debra said I would get a meeting with Rona Ambrose at some point in the future. After a couple phone calls my turn for a meeting came up.

The Rona Ambrose meeting I think lasted a total of 20min.. the shortest meeting to date. The meeting managed to be cut short on both the front and back end.

During the meeting I asked if they could print me off a copy of Bill C-61 when it is released. They said sure. After Bill C-61 was released I gave them a phone call. Turns out my tax money does not go to paper for constituents... only affords a link in a e-mail.

Also, during the meeting she said I could schedule another meeting. I thought it would be a meeting about C-61 when it gets released. Debra Bain thought it would be a meeting on another subject that needs attention. Either way it did not matter. I was not able to get a meeting with Rona Ambrose on that or any other issues even after some more phone calls.

I made sure all my family and friends knew the trouble I had with Rona Ambrose. I know Rona Ambrose is never going to receive a vote from me. I know she will not get a vote from my family and friends without heavy thought. I also encourage everyone reading this that you do not vote for Rona Ambrose without heavy thought. At least try and schedule a meeting with her first.. so you can find out first hand how hard it is to get her to hear her constituents. She is the kind of MP I feared when I started trying to meet MPs.

Laurie Hawn's Open House

I think most of us who went to Laurie Hawn's Open House did not know what to expect. At the very least I had no idea what to expect.

As the Edmonton Chapter patiently sat and waited for our questions to be answered during the moderated question period one lady turned around and remarked something along the lines of "Why haven't you tried to get your voice herd?" I felt the urge to make a massive speech about the kilometers I drove, the letters I wrote, and the group that begun. That one little remark irritated me more than I let on. I chose to instead reply "I assure you I have tried."

Another story of note is when a member of the Athabasca University stood up and made a passionate speech about security research unannounced. People applauded. I was surprised, the majority of the audience was surprised, and I think even Laurie Hawn was surprised. Passion for copyright law? Who knew?

Laurie Hawn gave us a invitation for a sit down meeting at the end of the town hall and we accepted. Luckily, my employer did not mind the unexpected time off. This occasion would mark the first time I ever had a meeting with a Member of Parliament.