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It’s a big day for our small team here at OpenMedia! This morning we’ve unveiled our detailed election platform, packed with great ideas on restoring privacy rights (including repealing C-51), access to affordable Internet and cell phone service, and safeguarding free expression.

Our whole team is excited: this morning marks the culmination of many years of work for us, across what we call our “Three pillars of Internet freedom”: privacy, affordable access, and free expression.

All in all, an incredible over 250,000 Canadians have been involved in shaping this positive, pro-Internet platform. It brings together key recommendations from our major crowdsourcing projects of the last few years — Canada’s Privacy Plan, Time for an Upgrade, Casting an Open Net, and Our Digital Future — into a comprehensive agenda for the future of Canada’s Internet.

You can check out our full platform at OurDigitalFuture.ca/Platform and, thanks to our superhero volunteer Gilles Bureau, our platform is also available en français at OurDigitalFuture.ca/Programme

If you like what you see, don’t forget to add your voice to the thousands of Canadians endorsing this positive vision, by signing our pledge at OurDigitalFuture.ca — remember, if enough people pledge to vote we’ll have the leverage we need to pressure the parties to put our crowdsourced plan into law.

This morning’s platform launch really just marks the beginning of our election campaign. This election is a massive opportunity for us: after years of government failures, we’ve finally got a chance to repeal C-51, protect our privacy, and secure affordable, world-class Internet for all Canadians.

But we need your help: a key part of our campaign is making sure that Canadians have the information they need to cast an informed vote on October 19.

As a post-partisan organization we won’t be saying “Vote for Party or Candidate X.” However we will be using today’s platform as a litmus test, pressuring all the party leaders to sign up to these goals and producing report cards grading each of the main parties.

These report cards will be pretty crucial — they’ll mean voters can see at a glance which parties and candidates are on Canadians’ side when it comes to securing a positive digital future for all of us.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be working to analyze each of the main parties’ announced policies, past record, and future promises to help inform these report cards. But a crucial part of this analysis depends on you: we need you to tell us how you think each of the parties are doing on the issues that matter most to you.

For example:

  • The government promised repeatedly, from Stephen Harper on down, to lower cell phone and Internet bills. How would you rate their performance?
  • On Bill C-51, what do you think of where the parties stand?
  • When it comes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s Internet censorship plan, which political leaders stand out to you as siding with Canadians?

We need your input: please, use the comments section to tell us how you think the political parties are faring. We’ll use your feedback to help inform the report cards we’ll be producing on each of the parties — because we know the most important perspectives come not the pundits, but from everyday Canadians.

After all, democracy depends on our active engagement. As community member Claudia told us, “never take a freedom for granted. we have to be vigilant or we will lose our rights.”

By working together, we can ensure voters have the information they need to cast an informed ballot on election day — and, of course, maximize our chances of getting a new government committed to a positive pro-Internet agenda.

Can you help us out? Let us know how you think the parties are faring using the comments section below!

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David Christopher

David Christopher

David Christopher is the Communications Manager of OpenMedia.ca and writes regularly for the organization. He’s from the west of Ireland and holds a degree from Trinity College Dublin, where he...