Newest Prime Ministerial Candidate To Meet, Greet, and Take Questions in Vancouver

WHO:
The Internet, a.k.a. Net – In response to the digital leadership vacuum this election, Net is running for Prime Minister of Canada. Net represents all Canadians who want a fast, open, and ubiquitous Internet in Canada. Net's candidacy is a tool, produced by public engagement organization OpenMedia.ca, which is designed to help Canadians highlight Internet issues, including telecom price gouging, during the election.

This campaign may be fun, but make no mistake about it, this tool highlights a serious concern: Canadians pay obscene prices for slow Internet speeds, and this is smothering our economy and social progress. Canadians need leadership for our digital future.

Steve Anderson – Founder and Executive Director of OpenMedia.ca, the public engagement organization behind the Vote for the Internet campaign.

WHAT:
Join Net this Thursday for his first public appearance, where he will also be taking questions from the media.

WHEN:
Thursday, April 21 at 3:00 PM PDT

WHERE:
Trees Organic Coffee and Roasting House
450 Granville Street (at Hastings), Vancouver

WHY:
It’s time to start a conversation about Canada’s digital future, and bring our country out of the Stone Age and into the Digital Age. The Internet has a strong role to play in promoting innovation, competition, and free expression, and will play a significant role in Canada’s leadership race. Canada is falling behind on key Internet metrics such as speed and cost.

Background information:

OpenMedia.ca is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization working to advance and support an open and innovative communications system in Canada. Our primary goal is to increase public awareness and informed participation in Canadian media, cultural, information, and telecommunication policy formation. We strive to make media and telecommunications more transparent, with broader and more representative public participation. Our job is to shine a spotlight on key media policy developments, and provide essential tools and information for citizen engagement.

Vote for the Internet: A month after almost half-a-million Canadians stood up for the Internet by signing OpenMedia.ca’s Stop The Meter petition, and only days after over 35,000 citizens took a pledge to vote for the Internet, Net joined the Prime Ministerial race. This candidate has become deeply intertwined with the Canadian economy and culture. The time has come for Net, on behalf of Canadian citizens, to find a way into Parliament.

Net’s support comes from the Canadian public; this candidate does not have fellow candidates or a party for support. Net wants the MPs that are elected in May to commit to safeguarding Canada’s open Internet.

For more information please contact:
Lindsey Pinto – 778.238.7710 – [email protected]

Watch Net’s interview on iPolitics here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I6YhYl-_Eg

You can also visit www.OpenMedia.ca or www.VoteNet.ca