Voting in CIRA’s 2015 Election will help shape the future of Canada’s Internet

It’s that time again! Some of you may not know this already, but Canada’s Internet is democratically governed. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is a non-profit organization that manages the dot-ca (.ca) registry and addresses many of the day-to-day challenges facing Internet governance in Canada. Now, CIRA holds regular elections and, just like electing a politician to represent you in the current federal election, you can elect the CIRA board of directors to represent your views about how Canada’s Internet should be managed.

There’s no doubt that these elections are important. CIRA has considerable resources that can be devoted toward ensuring all Canadians have affordable options for Internet access. CIRA have also launched some great initiatives to kickstart Canada’s national digital deficit, like their Community Investment Program. And you may recall that we’ve recently partnered with CIRA on initiatives like their Internet Performance Test, which seeks to assess the health of Canada’s Internet.

We want to see more of this - so it’s really important all members of CIRA vote in this election. Below is some information on how to vote, who’s eligible to vote - and some great candidates we think are worthy of your consideration.

How to Vote:

Here’s the deal: This year, four places on CIRA’s board are up for election, and every owner of a .ca domain is entitled to vote on these election – you just have to make sure that you’re recognized and registered in advance with CIRA. Everyone who was an active member of CIRA by August 26th and who is still active today is eligible to vote at http://cira.ca/election

There is no fee to become a member or to vote (other than the cost of owning a dot-ca domain) – just vote before September 23, 2015 at 3PM EST / 6PM PST.

Who to Vote For:

This year, there are some very high-quality candidates running for election to CIRA’s board - people with the experience and smarts needed to build and safeguard the open Internet.

With so many great candidates to choose from, everyone should make up their own mind. However here are some candidates we think are especially worthy of your consideration:

Marita Mollis a freelance writer and public policy researcher with an extensive background in communications issues. She has served on CIRA’s Community Investment Program selection committee, as well as the Canadian Chapter of the Internet Society. She has been active in moving forward pro-Internet policies and solutions for years and would make a great addition to CIRA’s Board. (Learn more about Marita)

Professor Michael Geist is one of the most authoritative pro-Internet voices in Canada. If you follow the work of OpenMedia, you’re probably well aware of Professor Geist’s work. He is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law, sits on numerous boards including CANARIE and EFF, and has a prolific publishing record on issues related to access, privacy, and copyright. He blogs regularly at MichaelGeist.ca. (Learn more about Michael)

Bill Sandiford is the President of the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC), which is a not-for-profit Canadian corporation that was formed to represent the interests of independent ISPs and telecom providers across Canada. Mr. Sandiford works hard to ensure Canadians have access to a wide range of affordable, independent ISPs, and CNOC regularly argues before the CRTC to help decentralize our highly concentrated media market. (Learn more about Bill)

The deadline of September 23 is quickly approaching, so don’t forget to vote! CIRA members can vote now at http://cira.ca/election