Proprietary education and government accountability.
Russell McOrmond
Greetings M. Bélanger,
It has been a frustrating morning.
On the CBC this morning I heard that the government is going to be
spending large amounts of money torwards putting government services
online.
I would have been applauding this announcement if it were from a more
visably accountable government. Given the current NAFTA Chapter 10/AIT
lawsuits I'm helping with against government departments to gain basic
accountability on technology choices, the feelings around these
announcements have been quite negative.
If you have not seen it yet, Richard published the previous CITT ruling
at http://www.plcom.net/citt/ . That case didn't have as clear an outcome
as we are hoping from the current case which might rule more specifically
on the existing laws that demand that government departments not be
allowed to require specific proprietary brands in their procurements, but
specify on performance requirements and open standards.
As you can tell, I consider the requirement of government procurement to
be open to be part and parcel of government accountability. I believe
that NAFTA Chapter 10 is misplaced to be under "trade" and believe that it
should be considered a chapter of Access to Information laws, but still
believe that it is a core part of trying to keep governments honest.
I then saw this message (forwarded) with the byline of "Minister Tobin
to Attend Microsoft-Computers for Schools Event". Given the current
fragility of public education, and the incompatible mindset between
schools and Microsoft (one exists to share knowledge, the other to lobby
governments to make more knowledge sharing illegal), it is disheartening
to see the minister helping Microsoft with their public relations
campaigns and their attack on public education.
The Government of Canada should be launching anti-trust cases against
Microsoft, not shaking hands and cutting ribbons as a partner with them.
I will be watching very closely at the Library of Parliament
accountability lawsuit. If "the good guys" who are fighting for basic
government accountability don't win, you can be sure that I will do
everything in my power to make sure that this gets public attention, as I
did with my small part on the MAI and other neo-classical economic
globalization campaigns.
Now a question for you:
If you are on-side on making government's interaction with high tech
more accountable, as you seem to be with your current support of the PLCOM
case, please let me know how I can help what you are doing.
---
Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
Lung association helps damage lungs. http://www.flora.org/afo/forum/3140
RMS clarifies Freedom http://www.gnu.org/press/2001-05-04-GPL.html
New Campaign for Fuel Subsidy Honesty! http://www.flora.org/taxpayer/
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 08:00:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: Russell McOrmond <rus...@flora.ottawa.on.ca>
To: Free/Open-Source Software Community Networking/Computing
<comne...@flora.org>
Cc: Mitchell Beer (People for Education)
Subject: Minister Tobin to Attend Microsoft-Computers for Schools Event
I believe it is time that we set up a lobby group to try to counter this
intrusion into education. This is an attack not only on accountability in
the high-tech sector (by not requiring government services of any kind,
especially in public education, be provided by open interoperable
computing standards), but an attack on public education by pushing further
anti-education proprietary mindsets onto our youth.
Those concerned with the privatization of education should look more
closely to these ties between educational institutions and organizations
like Microsoft which have for many years been lobbying (and are being
successful) on the privatization of knowledge itself.
Without public shareable knowledge, something that organizations like
Microsoft are trying to reduce by making more knowledge proprietary, there
can be no education of any type: private or public.
---
Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
Lung association helps damage lungs. http://www.flora.org/afo/forum/3140
RMS clarifies Freedom http://www.gnu.org/press/2001-05-04-GPL.html
New Campaign for Fuel Subsidy Honesty! http://www.flora.org/taxpayer/
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 13:47:03 -0400 (EDT)
From: Richard Lamothe
Reply-To: plcom...@plcom.on.ca
To: plcom...@plcom.net
Subject: [PLCOM-TECH] Minister Tobin to Attend Microsoft-Computers for Schools
Event (fwd)
Get 'em while they're young and get a CAbinet Minister to bless the
strategy. Hmmn... :-(
-----------------------------------------------------
Richard Lamothe
http://www.plcom.net/
613 231 5597
134 Sparks St., Ottawa.On.Ca, K1P5B6
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 11:10:39 -0400
Reply-To: Industry-...@ic.gc.ca
Subject: Minister Tobin to Attend Microsoft-Computers for Schools Event
Date: 2001/06/27 Hull
OTTAWA, June 27, 2001 -- On Thursday, June 28, the Honourable Brian Tobin,
Minister of Industry, will attend an event marking a major education
announcement by Microsoft Canada regarding the Computers for Schools
program.
Minister Tobin will speak briefly and acknowledge Microsoft Canada's growing
contribution to education in Canada. He will also participate with Frank
Clegg, President of Microsoft Canada, in a virtual question and answer
session with students from across Canada.
Date: Thursday, June 28, 2001
Time:
09:30 to 10:30 hrs. EDT
Location:
Computers for Schools National Repair and Transfer Centre
45 boul. Sacré-Coeur
Hull, Quebec
For more information, please contact:
Heidi Bonnell
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Industry
(613) 995-9001
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