#canadians

I started my Armies of Italy review by taking us back to First Edition for a look at how Italian forces in Bolt Action evolved over the years. With Armies of the British Commonwealth only weeks away, I wanted to do the same thing. But, unlike Italy, we are not looking at just one nation; we are looking at seven. Thus the need for a dedicated article, separate from the review of AoBC. This is for…

To Canadians everywhere I wish you an awesome Canada Day. May True North always be strong and free. In these days of challenges always stand on guard for thee from coast to coast to coast. I love you Canada! As always elbows up.

So what can you do? Contact your MP! Find out who your MP is and their email contact info here. (even better if you can send them a physical letter, politicians love those for some reason)

The Reddit user EmbassedHelp has provided a great email template for you to use:

Here it is in a easy copy and paste format:

Subject: Protect Canadians' Privacy: Oppose Bill C-34's Mandatory Age Verification Requirements Dear [Prime Minister/Minister/MP Name], I am writing to urge you to reject the mandatory age verification and age assurance requirements in Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, which would impose these measures across social media platforms, Al chatbot services, and adult content websites, including requirements previously proposed under Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne's Bill S-209. Mandatory age verification and age assurance as a condition of accessing lawful online content is an unacceptable threat to Canadians' privacy when accessing social media platforms, artificial intelligence systems, and adult content websites. Requiring individuals to verify their age to access lawful online content creates new opportunities for data breaches, surveillance, and misuse of sensitive personal information. In the case of sensitive or stigmatized personal information like adult content, data breaches can cause permanent and irreparable harm. These requirements create records and metadata that link a person's offline identity to their online activity. They also disproportionately target marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQ community. Once this infrastructure exists, its scope consistently expands beyond its stated purpose as seen in other countries. There is no such thing as private or anonymous age verification. Canadians deserve more privacy online, not less.

Protecting kids should not come at the cost of violating the privacy of all Canadians. I urge you to focus on better parental controls for parents, restrictions on K-12 school WiFi, and targeting services marketed as explicitly for kids. This would be in line with the recent Angus Reid survey on social media age bans, where 72% of Canadians said parents, and not the government, should be the ones enforcing the bans. Most Canadian parents already take measures to restrict their kids' technology and internet use. We should be supporting parents with better parental controls, instead of trying to force companies to violate Canadians' privacy. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Optional Postal Code] [City], [Province]