One small step...

Well, at least it's something... I have received a response for my petitioning of Bill C-30 and Bill C-11. even if it is just a standardized reply, it was not instantaneous, and therefore not automated...

Thank you for your previous email outlining your desire for better
protection for consumers in the growing digital economy. New Democrats
recognize the importance of the digital economy and we are working hard to
protect Canadian consumers.

First, please know that we share the concerns of many Canadians who oppose
legislation relating to lawful access, ACTA, digital locks, and SOPA. NDP
Copyright and Digital Issues critic Charlie Angus and NDP Public Safety
critic Jasbir Sandhu are taking the lead on these issues.

Regarding Bill C-30, we believe that this lawful access legislation proposed
by the Harper government is deeply flawed. In summary, C-30 includes
troubling measures that would:

- violate privacy rights of Canadians;
- give authorities the power to access your personal information without a
warrant;
- force every telecom, telephone, Internet, wireless provider to create
elaborate  spy backdoors that will become a gold mine for hackers;
- provide inadequate oversight to protect Canadians from abuse of
warrantless access;
- force TSPs to incur the costs of developing this permanent surveillance
infrastructure, costs which will likely be passed on to consumers.

Even Public Safety Minister Vic Toews expressed concern with the
implications about the new search powers of his proposed bill that would
require Internet Service Providers to turn over basic identifying
information to a police officer without a warrant. "It comes as a great
shock to me, and it should to all Canadians, that Minister Toews is
introducing legislation that he doesn't understand the contents of." - NDP
Justice critic Jack Harris.  You can read more here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/02/should-the-controversial-survei
llance-bill-be-scrapped.html

We recognize that police officers should have the necessary tools to go
aggressively after child pornographers and other cyber criminals- so they
can be punished to the full extent of the law. However, this can be achieved
without making offensive comparisons and treating law-abiding Canadians like
criminals.

Regarding changes to copyright laws, we believe it is important to balance
the rights of artists, consumers and rights-holders. Canada needs effective
legislation to ensure artists' royalties are protected; long-distance
education opportunities aren't hindered; and that young people aren't
subject to unfair, expensive fines.

However, rather than striking a balance, Bill C-11, An Act to amend the
Copyright Act, goes too far in protecting corporate interests. New Democrats
will not be supporting Bill C-11 unless the government is willing to amend
the digital lock provisions and restore royalty provisions for artists. The
blanket provisions for digital locks will allow corporate interests to
decide what legal rights you may or may not exercise. This unbalanced
approach will ultimately hurt artists, educators, and consumers.

Finally, New Democrats have long been on record with our opposition to the
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). We believe that there must be a
balance between the rights of creators and users, and that this will not be
achieved through a process shrouded in secrecy. Unfortunately, the
Conservative government signed this treaty late last year after winning
their majority government. For our part, MP Charlie Angus has been speaking
out against this treaty over the past several years. We have repeatedly
called for a broad and transparent consultation process with the public.
This issue demands fair treatment and compensation of copyrighted material
along with a fundamental right of access to the Internet. Regrettably, the
Conservative government did not heed our advice. You can read more about our
opposition to ACTA here:
http://www.ndp.ca/press/secret-acta-negotiations-would-criminalize-canadian-
internet-use.

Going forward, we will continue to advocate for better protection on behalf
of Canadian consumers.

Again, we appreciate hearing from you. Please visit our website at
www.ndp.ca to learn the latest about our team of New Democrats.

All the best,


Nycole Turmel, M.P.
Interim Leader of the Official Opposition
New Democratic Party of Canada


Charlie Angus, M.P.
NDP Copyright and Digital Issues Critic

I did choose to send off a quick reply:

Feel free to point out (in parliament) that between "5 arrested in Quebec child porn raids" and "Megaupload being shutdown from across the world" there is enough legislation already in place to protect both "the children" and "the copyright owners"... If the police need training on how the internet functions, that is completely different than changing the laws, or handing over our personal information to anyone who asks nicely.

Thank you

-<MyRealName>©

We will see if this does anything, though I suspect it will not, owing to the 'majority' government that's presently in place. 

-DIrtyKID©