Calgary Centre Greens » Natalie Odd

Elizabeth May & Calgary’s Green Candidates

gordon mcdowell — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:01:28 +0000

Elizabeth May joined Green candidates, volunteers and curious Calgarians for a a fundraiser at La Joie De Vivre in Inglewood.

Local Green candidates gave quick introductions, including Brett Spencer of Calgary South-East.

Elizabeth May then spoke on a wide variety of subjects, including the Green Party’s steady popularity, vote abandonment, and how Harper’s autocratic style of government puts Canadian democracy in danger.

The following video is an 11 minute summary of Elizabeth May’s entire speech and Q&A session. You can click here to watch extended (53 minute) coverage, or click on the summary video’s “YouTube Annotation Links” as they appear, if you’d like to hear more about one particular topic.

00:24	Our strong support is not a protest vote. Adding “none of the above” below “Green Party” on polling ballots has little impact.
01:38	We do not elect a Prime Minister. We elect 308 members of Parliament, who could have picked someone other than Stephen Harper to be PM.
02:51	Greens are different because we do not pursue political expediency. All of our policies are focused on what is right in the long term.
03:44	The positive impact on civility and democracy electing even a single Green MP in Canada will have.
05:22	Green Party policy on nuclear power, and how Greens respond to emerging technologies.
07:20	Stephen Harper is gutting Environmental Impact Assessment. He is not making it more efficient.
09:44	How can Greens more effectively communicate to Canadians our fiscally conservative platform, and that we are not a single issue party?

If you’d like to stay up-to-date on Natalie Odd’s campaign, or any other “Calgary Greens” we might feature in the future, you can subscribe to us on YouTube, or subscribe to our audio & video podcasts via iTunes.

Elizabeth May on a Principled Approach to Copyright

gordon mcdowell — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:57:47 +0000

Elizabeth May co-wrote a straight.com article giving credit where credit is due on our government’s current approach to copyright reform.

The fact that these consultations are being held is a small victory for those wishing to move forward on copyright reform. One of the most leveled criticisms of Ottawa’s earlier attempt at a copyright bill, Bill C-61, was that there was a lack of stakeholder input. -Elizabeth May

Canadians can respond to specific questions on copyright reform:

How do Canada’s copyright laws affect you? How should existing laws be modernized?
Based on Canadian values and interests, how should copyright changes be made in order to withstand the test of time?
What sorts of copyright changes do you believe would best foster innovation and creativity in Canada?
What sorts of copyright changes do you believe would best foster competition and investment in Canada?
What kinds of changes would best position Canada as a leader in the global, digital economy?

Online town halls are being held, and podcasts of earlier round tables are posted for review.

Many Canadian Green Party members are technically savvy, as we know it is innovation in technology and market based incentives which will spur Canada’s economic growth. Key to economic prosperity is a copyright policy which fosters innovation with a balance between financial incentives (the temporary monopoly granted to copyright holders), and access to public resources (when a copyright expires, and fair-use rights).

A thriving information commons is one that yields sustainable artistic innovation. User rights must be defined and extended through a flexible fair-dealing mechanism. Current laws on Crown copyright and public domain must be reformed to build a healthy information commons. Protection and compensation for creators must be ensured through a statutory-damages provision based on reasonably demonstrated loss. -Elizabeth May

What can you do to help ensure Canada avoids another C-61 fiasco?

Participate in Canada’s copyright consultations.

Volunteer your time to help elect Green Members of Parliament. (Oh you might have seen that one coming!) Green MPs such as Calgary Centre’s Natalie Odd will join NDP’s Charlie Angus in protecting Canadians from the danger of one-sided, innovation stifling, lobbyist driven copyright “reform” bills.

The entertainment industry is adjusting to online distribution models, and the sudden ability to meet the demands of niche markets. Defending the status quo on copyright, or worse, allowing lobbyists for outgoing distribution models to use copyright to stifle innovation, will result in fewer of the emerging businesses being profitable Canadian ones. Smart copyright legislation will put us ahead of the pack.

Natalie Odd Speaks at Fundraiser

admin — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:57:36 +0000

Natalie Odd explains her interest in the Green Party and her experiences in Calgary Centre riding. Natalie ran as a Green in Calgary Centre in 2008, and this year we’re ready for a breakthrough.

Elizabeth May and Natalie Odd – Call for Volunteers

admin — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:52:43 +0000

Before yesterday’s fundraiser kicked off, Elizabeth May sat down with Natalie Odd to help craft our call for volunteers. Thanks to Elizabeth’s participation we now have a decent stash of video footage on the topic. We’ll be editing down versions shorter than this one, unless 8 minute commercials make a surprise comeback.

What’s that? You think it could use some music? Sounds like someone is VOLUNTEERING to write some!

(But seriously, feedback is always welcome.)

Natalie Odd on “A-List 2009″

admin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:52:55 +0000

Natalie has been placed on Avenue Magazine’s 2009 A-List, in the company of 11 other Calgarians celebrated for making a difference in our community.

“There are the diehard, environmentally conscious folks who do whatever they can, but most people are really busy with their daily lives and they have enough things to worry about, so information just becomes background noise. It’s really our challenge to compel people to take that action.” -Natalie