Our Place

Now or Never on Canadian Copyright

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:20:00 +0000

From Michael Geist:

Closing Time on C-11: Help Stop the Final Push for SOPA-Style Reforms & Efforts to Gut Fair Dealing

Thursday March 08, 2012

The long road of Canadian copyright reform is nearing an end as the Bill C-11 committee concluded hearing from witnesses yesterday and indicated that it will begin a "clause-by-clause" review of the bill starting on Monday. While there will still be some additional opportunities for debate - third reading in the House of Commons, Senate review - the reality is that next week's discussion will largely determine the future of Canadian copyright law.

For the thousands of Canadians that have participated in consultations and sent letters to their MPs, there is reason for concern. On one side, there are the major copyright lobby groups who have put forward a dizzying array of demands that would overhaul Bill C-11. As I described it in a post yesterday:

The net effect of the music industry demands represents more than a stunning overhaul of Bill C-11 as it is effectively calling for a radical reform of the Internet in Canada. Taken together, the proposals would require Internet providers to block access to foreign sites, take down content without court oversight, and disclose subscriber information without a warrant. On top of those demands, the industry also wants individuals to face unlimited statutory damages and pay a new iPod tax. If that were not enough, it also wants an expanded enabler provision that is so broadly defined as potentially capture social networking sites and search engines.

On the other side, there are groups such as Access Copyright that are calling on their members to urge the government and committee MPs to undo the Supreme Court of Canada's CCH decision on fair dealing.

Yesterday, it sent out a "call to action" that urges emails be sent to local MPs plus all members of the Bill C-11 committee calling for additional fair dealing changes that overturns the Supreme Court of Canada's CCH decision by establishing a new test to determine the scope of fair dealing.

While many of these demands are clearly far beyond "technical amendments" and should be ruled out of order, the last minute push must be met by Canadians who favour a balanced approach to copyright reform that retains the best of Bill C-11 and makes some modest changes to digital locks, the one remaining area of concern. My message to the MPs focuses on three simple principles:

1.   No SOPA-style amendments. That means no website blocking, no warrantless disclosure of subscriber information, no expanded enabler provision, no unlimited statutory damages, no iPod tax, and no content takedowns.

2.   Maintain the fair dealing balance found in C-11 by expanding the provision to include education, parody, and satire and relying on the Supreme Court's six-factor test to ensure that the dealing is fair.

3.   Amend the digital lock rules by following the Canadian Library Association's recommended change linking circumvention to actual copyright infringement.

The message is going to my local MP, the Ministers and to Bill C-11 committee members:

Christian.paradis@parl.gc.ca
James.moore@parl.gc.ca
Dean.delmastro@parl.gc.ca
Mike.lake@parl.gc.ca
Phil.mccoleman@parl.gc.ca
Peter.braid@parl.gc.ca
Rob.moore@parl.gc.ca
Scott.armstrong@parl.gc.ca
Paul.calandra@parl.gc.ca
Glenn.thibeault@parl.gc.ca
Charlie.angus@parl.gc.ca
Tyrone.Benskin@parl.gc.ca
Pierre.Nantel@parl.gc.ca
Pierre.DionneLabelle@parl.gc.ca
Andrew.Cash@parl.gc.ca
Geoff.regan@parl.gc.ca

(single email to the Ministers and committee members)

The final committee stage starts Monday. Make sure the MPs hear your voice as they discuss amendments to the bill.

Original Post

The Other Shoe Drops: Music Reps Want SOPA-Style Website Blocking Added To Copyright Bill

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:01:00 +0000

The Other Shoe Drops: Music Reps Want SOPA-Style Website Blocking Added To Copyright Bill: The Bill
C-11 committee
conducts its final witness hearing on copyright reform today and not a
moment too soon. Based on the demands from music industry witnesses
this week, shutting down the Internet must surely be coming next. The
week started with the Canadian Independent Music Association seeking changes to
the
enabler provision that would create liability risk for social
networking sites, search
engines, blogging platforms, video sites, and many other websites
featuring third party contributions. It also called for a new iPod tax,
an extension in the term
of copyright, a removal of protections for user generated content,
parody, and satire, as well as an unlimited
statutory damage awards and a content takedown system with no court
oversight. CIMA was followed by ADISQ, which wants its own lawful access
approach
that would require Internet providers to disclose subscriber
information without court oversight based on allegations of
infringement (the attack on fair dealing is covered in a separate post).

Yesterday the Canadian Music Publishers Association added to the demand
list by pulling out the SOPA playbook and calling for website blocking
provisions. Implausibly describing the demand as a "technical
amendment", the CMPA argued that Internet providers take an active role
in shaping the Internet traffic on their systems and therefore it wants
to "create a positive obligation for service providers to prevent the
use of their services to infringe copyright by offshore sites." If the
actual wording is as broad as the proposal (the CMPA acknowledged that
it has an alternate, more limited version), this would open the door to
blocking
thousands of legitimate sites. The CMPA admitted that the proposal
bears a similarity to SOPA and PIPA, but argued that it was narrower
than the controversial U.S. bills. While that may technically be true - SOPA
envisioned DNS blocking and targeting advertising and payment networks
- the website blocking provisions look a lot like the legislation
that sparked massive public protest.

The net effect of the music industry demands represents more than a
stunning overhaul of Bill C-11 as it is effectively calling for a
radical reform of the Internet in Canada. Taken together, the proposals
would require Internet providers to block access to foreign sites, take
down content without court oversight, and disclose subscriber
information without a warrant. On top of those demands, the industry
also wants individuals to face unlimited statutory damages and pay a
new iPod tax. It also wants an expanded
enabler provision that is so broadly defined as potentially capture
social networking sites and search engines.

When Bill C-32 was first introduced, Canadian Heritage Minister James
Moore famously characterized opponents as radical
extremists.
As the hearing on the bill nears its conclusion, it has become apparent
that the only radical extremism are music industry proposals that are so over-the-top that they have managed to make the digital lock rules look tame by comparison (which may have been the
intent). For Canadian concerned with copyright and the Internet, this
really is the final call as the bill will go to clause-by-clause review
next week. Tell your MP and members
of the C-11 committee
to reject the industry's extreme demands and to ensure that the bill is
balanced by adding the Canadian Library Association's suggested
technical amendment to digital locks.

Be Afraid, Very Very Afraid!

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:59:00 +0000

http://youtu.be/bdtuBFtU1t8

TODAY IS THE DAY TO KILL ACTA

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:38:00 +0000

“Today is the day of global protest against ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a copyright treaty negotiated in secret (even parliaments and other legislatures weren't allowed to see the the working drafts), and which many governments (include the American government) are planning to adopt without legislative approval or debate. ACTA represents a wish-list of legislative gifts to the entertainment industry, and will seriously undermine legitimate users of the Internet. It imposes criminal sanctions -- with jail time -- for people who violate copyright, including remixers and other legitimate artists and creators. ACTA requires governments to shut down legitimate websites whose users "aid and abet" copyright infringement, creating a regime of fear and censorship for sites that accept comments and other media from users and curtailing discussion and debate in order to maximize entertainment industry profits.”

From: TODAY IS THE DAY TO KILL ACTA

You can embed this form in your own website, too.

Stop ACTA & TPP: Tell your country's officials: NEVER use secretive trade agreements to meddle with the Internet. Our freedoms depend on it!

I urge you to vote no on ACTA and to communicate its severe problems to your colleagues. ACTA's vague language locks us into obsolete copyright and patent laws, preventing democracies from updating their laws to unlock new economic and social opportunities.It criminalizes harmless remixes by ordinary users if they achieve 'a commercial scale' (art 2.14.1) which many amateur videos do on sites like Youtube. And it criminalizes legitimate websites by making them responsible for user behavior ('aiding and abetting' art 2.14.4).Worse, it permanently bypasses the democratic process by empowering the 'ACTA Committee' to 'propose amendments to [ACTA]' without your approval. (art 6.4) In other words, it's impossible to know what you're voting for.The global movement against the US law SOPA showed that internet freedom is a crucial issue which belongs in the legislative process of each country. You should view ACTA as an attempt by a handful of companies to circumvent the democratic process, and you should vote against it.Thank you. Please reply if you have any questions.

For European users, this form will email every MEP with a known email address.
Fight For The Future may contact you about future campaigns. We will never share your email with anyone. Privacy Policy

Stop The Cell Phone Squeeze

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:55:00 +0000

On the eve of a critical new wireless spectrum auction, we have reports that the Big Three cell phone giants (who already control almost 94% of the market) are trying to trick the government into shutting independent competitors out of the market. They’re trying to block competitors from being able to use essential wireless spectrum. These giant phone companies are going so far as to use high-priced lobbyists and one is even using a fake grassroots campaign.

More at http://stopthesqueeze.ca/

cheers
JJ

Help us keep Canada for Canadians

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:05:00 +0000

From Michael Geist:

“Canada celebrated New Year's Day this year by welcoming the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Carl Jung into the public domain just as European countries were celebrating the arrival of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, 20 years after both entered the Canadian public domain. Canada's term of copyright meets the international standard of life of the author plus 50 years, which has now become a competitive advantage when compared to the United States, Australia, and Europe, which have copyright terms that extend an additional 20 years (without any evidence of additional public benefits).

In an interesting coincidence, the Canadian government filed notice of a public consultation on December 31, 2011 on the possible Canadian entry into the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations, trade talks that could result in an extension in the term of copyright that would mean nothing new would enter the Canadian public domain until 2032 or beyond. The TPP covers a wide range of issues, but its intellectual property rules as contemplated by leaked U.S. drafts would extend the term of copyright, require even stricter digital lock rules, restrict trade in parallel imports, and increase various infringement penalties. As I noted last month, if Canada were to ratify the TPP, it would require another copyright bill to undo much of what the government is about to enact with Bill C-11.”

More

Originally from: source

Victory! Boycott forces GoDaddy to drop its support for SOPA

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 01:04:00 +0000

Under intense pressure from an Internet-wide boycott, domain registrar GoDaddy has given the open Internet an early Christmas present: it's dropping its support for the Stop Online Piracy Act. The change was announced in a statement sent to Ars Technica:

Go Daddy is no longer supporting SOPA, the "Stop Online Piracy Act" currently working its way through U.S. Congress.

"Fighting online piracy is of the utmost importance, which is why Go Daddy has been working to help craft revisions to this legislation—but we can clearly do better," Warren Adelman, Go Daddy's newly appointed CEO, said. "It's very important that all Internet stakeholders work together on this. Getting it right is worth the wait. Go Daddy will support it when and if the Internet community supports it."

Ars Technica

SOPA Adjourned

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:29:00 +0000

In what seems a victory of intelligence over politics, the Committee discussing the SOPA Act has been adjourned with no future date set!

58 donors responsible for 80% of SuperPAC funding

noreply@blogger.com (Ellodrith) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:18:00 +0000

From Boing Boing

58 donors responsible for 80% of SuperPAC funding:

With the Citizens United ruling, the Supreme Court turned money into a form of political speech, paving the way for enormous influxes of cash from the American ultra-elite one-percent-of-one-percent, and, to a lesser extent, organized labor (money given to the GOP by big business dwarfs labor's contribution to the Dems by a factor of about 2.5). The extent to which this has distorted American politics is only now becoming apparent, as statistics about SuperPACs and their "donations" are gathered and published. In this Salon report, Justin Elliott publishes some eye-opening figures about the new political reality in money-as-speech America.

Especially concerning: 80 percent of the money sloshing around in America's SuperPACs' warchests came from just 58 donors.

The Super PACs are not paragons of transparency, but what has been disclosed gives a sense of where the money is coming from and the interests of those giving it. Based on the donors and the origins of these groups, we can already discern what messages the Super PACs will generate in the home stretch of the campaign.

Red money, blue money: The making of the 2012 campaign

cheers
JJ

How far technology has come!

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:28:00 +0000

Amazing, simply amazing

cheers
JJ

Congressional staffers behind SOPA get shiny new jobs as entertainment industry lobbyists

noreply@blogger.com (Ellodrith) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:17:00 +0000

Hilarious news continues :) From the Boing Boing Story

"Congressional staffers behind SOPA get shiny new jobs as entertainment industry lobbyists:

Allison Halataei (former deputy chief of staff for House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas)) and Lauren Pastarnack (former senior aide on the Senate Judiciary Committee) have cool new jobs. Having written the Internet-destroying Stop Online Piracy Act for their bosses while drawing a salary at public expense, they've now accepted massive raises to go work for the entertainment companies who stand to benefit from the law they wrote. Their new job? Helping to run the campaign to push their law through.

Halataei recently joined the National Music Publishers’ Association, and Pastarnack is jumping to the Motion Pictures Association of America, two lobbying groups pressing Congress to pass the proposals...

“This is one of those mega-fights where there is a lot of money at stake and whenever it gets to that, it’s kind of ‘Katy bar the door’ as far as what they’ll pay for talent,” said McCormick Group headhunter Ivan Adler. “This fits into the perfect scenario of why senior-level people from well-placed committees get hired, and it’s because they really know the three p’s: people, policy and process. And that makes them very valuable in the Washington marketplace.”

The former aides will face one-year lobbying bans, which means they cannot lobby the respective committees where they previously worked. But those bans don’t render the former aides useless to their new employers.

“They can provide invaluable insight to people on the outside — even in the consultation mode,” one tech industry lobbyist said, noting that Halataei had been Smith’s secondhand person and knows how the Texas Republican thinks and what would be an effective lobbying strategy.

Additionally, the Senate and House panels work closely together, and both Halataei and Pastarnack have ties to staffers in the chambers they didn’t serve in and aren’t banned from lobbying.

GOP aides head to K St. for tech war

(via /.)"

cheers
JJ

Copyrights, Patents, Privacy and You!

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:28:00 +0000

If you are not entirely insulated from the world, you may have noticed a few news stories leaking through over the last few weeks. Copyright is being argued in Canada and the US’ lawmaking systems. Copyright holders (The big boys here, NOT the artists and performers and so on) want MORE control over what can be disseminated on the NET. They want MORE control than they have now! In the last couple of years, these Copyright Holders (lets call em the rats, why, why not!), they have had many websites removed from the NET¹ , destroying businesses and people’s dreams. In a number of cases, they have had NO right to do so, but under existing laws, they are getting away with it! This is not enough, they want to be able to do what they do now, destroy your business, destroy your livelihood and NOW they want to be able to throw you in JAIL, WITHOUT a trial²!

Given that they are abusing the systems they have now in really underhanded ways³, do we really want to give them more power? NO!, Say NO! in any way you can, we have to fight back against these things⁴. If you don’t fight back against this stupidity, they (the corporations, politicians and the enforcement agencies) will soon have complete control over you, your information and the info you can access. The latest squeaky law⁵in the states will let the enforcement agencies grab US citizens off the street, call them a terrorist or “person of interest” and ship em off to Guantanamo, no phone call, no lawyer, no courts, just bye bye! Now, that was not the intent of the law when it was passed, but that's the way the law reads. The enforcement agencies all say they would never ever use it that way, trust them!

Here in Canada, we have this wonderful access to information law being put forward. They want faster access to information to catch the bad guys! Thats it, just because it means they can start grabbing all sorts of info on all sorts of people without oversight does not mean they will use it that way! *choke *choke

The government is also trying to make it a crime to break a digital lock. These are used to enforce DRM (digital rights management), and usually mean that your system calls home (a server on the net owned by the company you bought the song/movie/ebook/etc from) to get permission for you to enjoy your purchase. Now we have had many examples of companies shutting down DRM servers and leaving their customers out in the cold in terms of their purchases. You can no linger enjoy your digital purchase, its broken. Now breaking the digital lock would allow you to enjoy that purchase, but under the new law⁸, you would go to JAIL for trying to enjoy your digital purchase!

Now we get to the reason I just blew off this little rant. There is a case before the US courts that will decide whether or not changes in your body due to changes in doses of medicine or other things related to meds can be patented. THEY WANT TO PATENT YOUR BODY NOW⁷!!!

ok, I’m outa ooomph now, gotta go play a little solitaire, sorry for the rant

cheers
JJ

1. DNS Takedowns
2. SOPA PROTECT IP
3. Youtube Video takedown
4. EFF in states and openmedia.ca in Canada
5. National Defense Authorization Act
6. ESnooping Bill
7. Canadian Copyright Law

ps happy reading, and you may see the following soon for our stuff if someone thinks we’ve stepped on toes

The US Ownzzz You!

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:04:00 +0000

The broad strokes of US policy makers are about to claim “ownership” of such a wide swath of the Internet that will effectively give them total control. As Michael Geist explains:

“The U.S. Congress is currently embroiled in a heated debated over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), proposed legislation that supporters argue is needed combat online infringement, but critics fear would create the "great firewall of the United States." SOPA’s potential impact on the Internet and development of online services is enormous as it cuts across the lifeblood of the Internet and e-commerce in the effort to target websites that are characterized as being "dedicated to the theft of U.S. property." This represents a new standard that many experts believe could capture hundreds of legitimate websites and services”

The definitions are so broad that they capture many sites that are certainly not US in any way.

“First, it defines a "domestic domain name" as a domain name "that is registered or assigned by a domain name registrar, domain name registry, or other domain name registration authority, that is located within a judicial district of the United States." Since every dot-com, dot-net, and dot-org domain is managed by a domain name registry in the U.S., the law effectively asserts jurisdiction over tens of millions of domain names regardless of where the registrant actually resides.

Second, it defines "domestic Internet protocol addresses" - the numeric strings that constitute the actual address of a website or Internet connection - as "an Internet Protocol address for which the corresponding Internet Protocol allocation entity is located within a judicial district of the United States."

Yet IP addresses are allocated by regional organizations, not national ones. The allocation entity located in the U.S. is called ARIN, the American Registry for Internet Numbers. Its territory includes the U.S., Canada, and 20 Caribbean nations. This bill treats all IP addresses in this region as domestic for U.S. law purposes.

To put this is context, every Canadian Internet provider relies on ARIN for its block of IP addresses. In fact, ARIN even allocates the block of IP addresses used by federal and provincial governments. The U.S. bill would treat them all as domestic for U.S. law purposes.”

From: SOPA: All Your Internets Belong to US

cheers
JJ

Regulators pull back from usage-based billing after half-a-million Canadians speak out

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:05:00 +0000

From OpenMedia.ca:

“CRTC reconsiders ruling that would let Big Telecom companies control independent competitors, Canadians urged to use indie services

November 15, 2011 – The CRTC has released its decision on Internet metering (usage-based billing), and pro-Internet organization OpenMedia.ca is celebrating it as a step forward for the open and affordable Internet. The decision comes as the result of public pressure, channeled primarily though the group’s Stop The Meter campaign, which included a petition that attracted over half-a-million Canadians.”

For the Complete Post see:
Regulators pull back

Cheers
JJ

End of the Leaves?

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:47:00 +0000

Maybe…. it seems like it never ends but it’s really only 2 months or so.

If you are thinking about getting eaves guards to keep those leaves out of your eves trough and you just can’t make up your mind, DO IT! It will be THE effort saving device of your handyman history. No really, these things are great, instead of having to do the eves trough every week or so in the fall, and every couple of months in the off season, you do it ONCE a year.

The roof all done, and the pesky eves trough

And the pile has now grown to EPIC proportions ….

and the rest of the “front yard” We cut the blackberries right back last year and they are happy, happy now, getting back to bat cave size.

cheers
JJ

Rites of Fall

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:40:00 +0000

If we didn’t rake our leaves …..

Why its hard to rake our leaves….. (damn cars )

The dang big pile o’ leaves…. (so far )

The scary part we haven’t got to yet …..

The end result is lots for our compost and a LOT left over
So if you are looking for compost…. please don’t hesitate to come by.

cheers
JJ

Privacy Concerns

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:55:00 +0000

If you follow the Stop the Spying link below, you will be able to find a lot more information on the Governments upcoming Bill to allow access to your online information without any legal oversight. No warrants required, all that will be required to get all your online info will be a simple request from “approved” agencies/people.

Jennifer Stoddart, Canada’s Privacy Commissioner today wrote an open letter to Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety expressing concerns regarding the legislation.

“Despite repeated calls, no systematic case has yet been made to justify the extent of the new investigative capabilities that would have been created by the bills. Canadian authorities have yet to provide the public with evidence to suggest that CSIS or Canadian police cannot perform their duties under the current regime. One-off cases and isolated incidents should not prove the rule, nor should exigent or emergency circumstances, for which there are already Criminal Code provisions.”

The enitire letter can be read here : Letter to Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews

Please show your support at: OpenMedia.ca Stop Spying

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves!

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:17:00 +0000

cheers
JJ

Stop the Spying!

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:45:00 +0000

Open Media Stop Spying

cheers
JJ

The one that started it all.

noreply@blogger.com (TS) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:51:00 +0000

I have been sorting through some stuff as of late and I have been reminiscing.
It's interesting where life takes you and what happens along the way.
So I thought I would share.
This is my first autograph.
Circa 1982.
I was working in Jasper, Alberta at a cool little spot overlooking the river.
One morning everyone was abuzz that a tv star was staying in one of the cabins.
Gary Sandy star of WKRP in Cincinnati.
Of course we were told to give him his privacy, which we did but when he walked into the front office cabin I just couldn't resist and had to ask for his autograph. Little did I know that that chance meeting and my courage to ask for an autograph would one day lead me to my proudest star encounter moment when I stood in front of Keith Richards and asked him for his autograph.
One of many experiences I would like to share with you my reader whomever you may be.
I like to think of it as my time capsule. Not only filled with chance star encounters but just cool things that have happened in my life because I happened to be in the right place at the right time.
I hope you find it interesting I know I have.

Steve Jobs–RIP 1955-2011

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:06:00 +0000

(UN)Lawful Access

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:07:00 +0000

Michael Geist has a great post today on the pending Lawful Access legislation and what it really means.

(un)LAWFUL ACCESS from The New Transparency on Vimeo.

Cheers
JJ

Link: (Un)Lawful Access

Stop Bill C-4

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:18:00 +0000

Learn more at : http://ccla.org/stop-c4/

cheers
JJ

Weed?

noreply@blogger.com (TS) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:48:00 +0000

Jack Layton's letter to Canadians

noreply@blogger.com (JJ) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:55:00 +0000

August 20, 2011

Toronto, Ontario

Dear Friends,

Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.

Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.

I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.

I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.

A few additional thoughts:

To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.

To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.

To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,

Jack Layton