Canadian MP auto-contact site
p2p news / p2pnet: January 23, the date of the Canadian election, is close and we need to ensure that whoever’s elected on Monday is aware that Digital Copyright and Internet issues are vitally important to constituents.
We also want to make sure candidates are able to easily contact people in their own constituencies to learn more
I want to make it easy for people to send letters to their member of parliament. So I’ve set up an automated tool on Digital-copyright.ca.
Step 1: Log into our Open Source Drupal based website. This allows us to confirm your email address is correct so we won’t be sending anonymous SPAM to candidates.
Getting a new account involves telling the website what account name you want to use, and your email address. We’ll then email you a temporary password which you can use to log in, confirming for us that your email address is correct.
Once you’re logged in, there are variables which you can set to tell the system more about you. For instance, there’s a “my account” option which allows you to type in your postal code and other contact information to be automatically be included in the footer information of letters you send.
Step 2: Identify your riding.
Whether we’re talking about candidates during a federal election, or your MP between elections, this information is always keyed to your riding. You’re asked to navigate to one of the riding specific areas and then click the “set as my electoral district” option. This will set a variable with the ID number of the riding and enable a “my electoral district” button which allows you to quickly return to this page each time you log in to check for new articles specific to your area.
Setting your riding also means the next time we post a letter, you won’t have to tell the web site again what riding you’re in.
Step 3: Send your letter.
I have a form letter set up which you can confirm or edit it any way you wish.
If you don’t want to log in, you can still see the sample letter and send it from your own email account. If at all possible, add a carbon-copy to letters@digital-copyright.ca so we’ll know which candidates or MPs are receiving letters. If you receive a reply, it would also be very helpful to receive copies so that we can add them to the web site so other constituents will know what’s been said.
Please take this step and go beyond conversations on the blogs to engaging with politicians to ensure that we’re heard during and between elections!
Thanks.
Sarmite Sam Bulte
And don’t forget to make a note of the race between Peggy Nash and Sarmite Sam Bulte in Toronto’s Parkdale-High Park.
Ms Bulte is a close friend of the incumbent foreign intermediaries and could become the next heritage minister if the Liberals form the next government.
She’s seen by our community as one of the greatest threats to Canadian creativity, especially independents and creators using alternative methods of production, distribution and funding.
Anyone with ties to this riding should do what they can to support Peggy Nash and ensure that Sam Bulte doesn’t win the seat.
Russell McOrmond – p2pnet contributing editor
[McOrmond is an independent author (software and non-software) who uses modern business models and licensing (Free/Libre and Open Source Software, Creative Commons).]
Also See:
Sarmite Sam Bulte – Sam Bulte gala night January 18, 2006
