As the campaign started to come to a close, the Captain of the Pirate Party decided to host an impromptu Pirate event, with local candidate PoliticoBailey in James Stevenson Park in Ashburnham, Peterborough, to talk about the constitution and democracy

"Good evening, everyone! It's so dark today.

One of the most confusing parts about the Government for many, is the constitution; and how democracy really works. Sure, you probably know that you elect an MP (hopefully Bailey this time around!), and the person who can get the largest number of MPs together forms government. But the rest can be confusing — sometimes, seemingly needlessly.

But let me start with the single policy, from any party, that has the power to transform how you live: direct democracy. It's one of core pillars of Pirate politics, and Canada is one of the countries that does worst for it; on the V-Dem Participatory Democracy Index, we are in 21st place, behind countries from the United States to Slovakia. There's no way for anyone, except the Federal Government, and the provincial Governments, to call national and provincial referenda specifically. PoliticoBailey, the Pirate Party and I all believe this to be nothing short of a democratic outrage.

It's people who make Canada — not the political class. Why is it, then, the political class make all the decisions; sure, we vote for them occasionally, but there's nothing stopping them from doing a complete 180º and flipflopping on policies that matter to you; it's outrageous!

Being someone fairly new to frontline politics, I was most surprised to see the opposition to my Direct Democracy Bill. Your Progressive Conservative Premier, at that time a Liberal MP in Québec, shouted in the House of Commons that:

Furthermore, and I cannot stress this enough, elected MPs are elected to DO A JOB, NOT TO OUTSOURCE OUR WORK TO THE PEOPLE THAT ELECTED US!

We're not saying that we should replace MPs. They serve an important role in making decisions. And our plan for Direct Democracy does not change that one tiny bit. In fact, what is our plan for Direct Democracy, you may be asking? If you only listened to the Liberals, Conservatives, and Social Créditistes, you would probably be very confused about it — or, worse, believe in the falsehoods they tell you.

So let me explain it, clearly, and truthfully. Any Canadian would be able to submit a petition to the House of Commons, calling for a referendum — we call these "National Popular Initiatives". In order for this referendum to be held, there are multiple criteria: for example, it must be serious; the most notable criterion, however, is that at least 2% of Canadians must have signed the petition. Two out of a hundred doesn't sound like a lot: but that's actually almost 550,000 people. Even if every single person here in Pleasant Peterborough signed it four times over, it still wouldn't be enough. This is a credible protection against abuse. Whereas some seek to portray this bill as anarchical; letting anything go, that could not be further from the truth. We have reasonable restrictions in place protecting our most important pieces of legislation: the many Constitution Acts, Indigenous land claim agreements, even ones signed in the future, the Canadian Charter of Human Rights, and more. Our plan for direct democracy is a most reasonable proposal — taking power away from the political elites and their buddies — and into your hands.

The second democratic outrage I would like to talk about is the monarchy. The monarchy is by definition anachronistic. Why is it Liz and Charlie's family who deserve to rule Canada — and Australia, and New Zealand, and Britain, and more. They might have been the best at killing people many centuries ago, sure, but what relevance does that have to your life: the answer is, of course, none.

The position of Governor General isn't much better. It's just whoever the PM likes — although I definitely prefer astronauts and diplomat/negotiators to the monarchy, it still isn't great. So what the hell will the Pirates do to fix; "you have the rhetoric, but what about the policy?", I hear you ask. That's a completely fair question.

Let me, therefore, explain the Pirate plan to fix this democratic outrage, too. We have our ace policy team of seventy-five people here in Ontario working away at it, and we believe it to be the best possible deal for a Canadian republic. The President would be directly elected by the Canadian people, every eight years or so. Anyone, provided they have at least a few MPs supporting them, would be able to run; allowing niche views and interests to be represented, without a ballot of hundreds of people on it. This President would be a figurehead for Canada — at home and abroad. They would be able to tackle meeting with foreign leaders, etc., while the Prime Minister focuses on their domestic work.

Finally, let me tackle a question I get all the time from Indigenous Canadians worried about what this reform means for them. Indigenous treaties are with "the Crown", so would becoming a Republic affect these treaties? Not at all. We will work to redefine these treaties as with "Canada", not just the Crown in right of Canada, ensuring there is continuity and stability for Indigenous communities.

The Pirate Party has a comprehensive plan to tackle these two democratic outrages. Tomorrow, vote PoliticoBailey, for a brighter, more democratic future, for a new Canada. Thank you!"