CIRA 2025 Board Elections (3.Viewing)

jamesaepp said:

(Reading subtext that may not be there) - hate to say it but that might be on you. Those amendments have been available to members AFAIK along with original notice of the meeting. All meeting materials were provided on the AGM 2025 page from the moment I knew about the meeting's date and time.

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That's entirely possible. I didn't visit the website other than to register and I didn't keep the email, so I can't tell what was in it.

This message might be considered spammy/too long for the forum - mods please use your judgement

FWIW, received 2025-08-21 12:27PM Central and I see little nuggets of earlier memos about the date/time in earlier emails. My prior comment might be non-factual/misleading now that I'm going through them. Screenshots have been resized to try and balance readability + forum friendliness.

I think the video meet was an excellent idea, everyone is so busy that something like that makes sense. However I also agree with some of the members who think the written word can be better assimilated by everyone so the best course of action (in my humble opinion) would be to do both. Put things in writing before and after in a format where people can respond and come back as they get time and then hold a meet to discuss details.

I wonder where such a forum format could even be hosted

PS. We can have private or semi private forums, all the tools are already in place. Our aim is to make dn.ca THE place for .CA discussions in Canada, why not throw some CIRA weight behind it. Would not mind a mention in a newsletter on occasion as well because we can directly answer questions that potential .CA registrants may have or even questions asked by domainers who own hundreds if not thousands of domains.

Who is supporting him?

I'll probably phone/text him. He gave regrets for last week's meet and greet so I haven't heard directly from him.

I'm still a relative novice (shocker) to participating in CIRA elections so while I'm still a bit unsure on how my votes will land with respect to the two slates, I think I'm more certain about the member slate than I am the nominating slate.

Thank you @jamesaepp for your engagement before, during and after the AGM. Even if your proposal was not accepted, I appreciate the time and effort that you put into the proposed agenda amendment, and your questions.

I don't think that this NFL owner is interested in cost cutting at CIRA. Matthew Gamble has already been a CIRA director for long enough and I don't see any positive impacts from his tenures between November 2018 and Oct 2021 and again from September 2022 to the present. I only hear from him before each election that he runs in.

TL;DR I guess what I'm saying is if you don't like voting for Matthew, vote for Caleb. That's not necessarily an endorsement of either, but that's what I'm grappling with right now.

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I called/spoke to Matthew last night. While I don't agree with a lot of his positions, he's quite articulate. I'm a pretty big jackass hard to persuade person, but I can recognize a good head when I see it.

I'm honestly very torn for the member slate. My opinion (as a biased IT professional) is that a lot of the candidates don't seem to have actual real technical backgrounds. They may be able to answer skill-testing questions on the spot but I don't think they'd be able to actually install a bind-compatible zonefile if they had to.

I see that Matthew Gamble does have a github profile and has an IT background. This appears to be in contrast to most of the other candidates (Caleb Ogundele being the other exception, maybe Keith Lawson too but frankly I don't find him appealing due to his response to one of the questions at the meet and greet last week).

I get that there's a desire to have more business-minded/accountant types on a board to hold important committee roles, but I think there's enough of that expertise on the board.

I would hate for the board to lose any members with technical strengths. We're all probably to some extent DNS practitioners. The board of a registry operator should be represented (IMO) by people who are also DNS practitioners. A board of doctors should be ... doctors. A board of emergency responders should be ... emergency responders. So too for CIRA.

I think it's fine to have CPAs on a board for where those roles make sense - and thanks to those who volunteer/compete for that position - but I'm not certain CIRA is suffering in that department right now.

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I could go on but this comment is meandering enough.

FYI - for those looking to talk to other members and who are on Facebook, one of the current board members, David Mackey created a group there many years before he was finally elected to the board:

Log into Facebook

jamesaepp said:

I would hate for the board to lose any members with technical strengths. We're all probably to some extent DNS practitioners. The board of a registry operator should be represented (IMO) by people who are also DNS practitioners. A board of doctors should be ... doctors. A board of emergency responders should be ... emergency responders. So too for CIRA.

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I agree with you James. The reality appears to be that generally speaking on the NomCom the not for profit board qualifications seem outweigh the need for technical people with experience in the DNS/Domain industry. Even though those people who come from the industry are usually highly coveted by the other board members and often fill in imported information, according to some former board members I talked to.

The NomCom does receive pretty strict guidelines as to how to select the candidates for their seats:
Election : Letter to the nomination committee – CIRA

To me, having working in the domain industry since 2001, the main current board members with relevant experience are: Rob Villeneuve, Graham Bunton and Matthew Gamble to a degree.

I'm still undecided on how I'm going to vote. I have reached out to all the candidates (except for Sharon Miller and Marita Moll) with a set of questions. If candidates consent to their answers being shared I will add them to this thread.

I didn't reach out to the two noted before as their contact information doesn't appear visible on the candidate statement pages or in their resumes/CVs in contrast to the other candidates.

Matthew Gamble has responded.

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Hello James,

Thanks again for our conversation earlier this week, and I appreciate you following up with these questions. Here are my responses:

1. (Yes/No) Could you confidently explain the differences between a registry, a registrar, a registrant, the DNS, and domain levels to a fifth-grader?

Yes. I’ll start by admitting this is a vast oversimplification of how things really work (and I doubt it would work for a modern fifth-grader since they’d probably have no idea what a phonebook is!) But the way I explain it is like this: imagine the registry is the “master phonebook” that keeps track of all the .CA domains. A registrar is like a store where you go to buy a phonebook entry. A registrant is the person or business buying that entry. The DNS is like the operator that, when you ask for a name, tells you what phone number to dial. And domain levels are just the parts of the name, like your last name, first name, and nickname all stacked together.

2. Do you believe CIRA is privileged as the operator of a monopoly and how does/would this influence your decisions at the board table?

Yes, CIRA does have a unique privilege as the sole operator of the .CA registry. That privilege comes with a responsibility to operate transparently, reinvest responsibly, and always act in the public interest. At the board table, that means ensuring decisions are made with accountability, fairness, and a recognition that CIRA’s role is different from a purely commercial business.

3. There’s a lot of talented people both on and competing to be on the board. What makes you special?

I bring a rare combination of deep technical experience in internet infrastructure, a strong record of governance, and a commitment to building the Canadian internet for the public good. I’ve served two non-consecutive terms on the CIRA Board, chaired the Community Investment, Policy & Advocacy Committee overseeing over $1 million annually in grants, and also serve in broader internet governance roles (Vice-Chair of the Canadian Internet Society, past ARIN Advisory Council member). That mix of technical, governance, and policy expertise allows me to contribute in a way that bridges multiple perspectives.

4. How do you think CIRA can improve member and stakeholder engagement?

Engagement is a persistent challenge, with less than 10% of members voting in elections. Part of the difficulty is the nature of what CIRA does - the safe, stable operation of a domain registry isn’t exactly exciting news. On top of that, there’s often a misunderstanding among members who think CIRA has a role in things like internet pricing, which it does not. I believe CIRA needs to invest more in proactive communications, leverage new tools and formats to reach members where they are, and continue making the value of membership clearer. We also need to create more opportunities for dialogue - so members don’t only hear from CIRA once per year at election time. We are making progress on this front with the Connected Canadians events but there is still much to do.

5. (Yes/No) Do you consent to me sharing your responses?

Yes.

Best regards,

Matthew Gamble

davidm said:

I don't think that this NFL owner is interested in cost cutting at CIRA. Matthew Gamble has already been a CIRA director for long enough and I don't see any positive impacts from his tenures between November 2018 and Oct 2021 and again from September 2022 to the present. I only hear from him before each election that he runs in.

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I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective. A couple of quick clarifications:

• On communication: You are correct that as a sitting director, I don’t communicate individually about board matters outside of official CIRA channels. That’s intentional and in line with good governance - the board speaks with one voice, and that voice is the Chair. The only time you’ll hear directly from me as an individual is during an election campaign, which is the one window where candidates are permitted to reach out.
• On my Packers fandom: I’m not going to apologize for being a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and having a little tongue-in-cheek fun with my LinkedIn profile. I’d like to think we can all allow a bit of personality in our professional lives.
• On services and expenses: It’s fair if you disagree with CIRA’s expansion into areas beyond the core registry function. That’s a legitimate debate. But it’s important to note that much of the increase in operational and staff expenses you’ve flagged in other posts are tied directly to those diversified services - such as our investments in cybersecurity offerings like CIRA Canadian Shield and XDR. These are intended to both strengthen Canada’s internet ecosystem and reduce CIRA’s long-term dependency on domain revenues.

I respect that not everyone agrees with this direction, but I stand by the belief that CIRA needs to invest and innovate responsibly to continue delivering value to Canadians.

It's nice to get some opinions and discussion on a public forum instead of behind closed doors at CIRA

Thank you very much to everyone participating in this public forum.

Caleb and Michael responded overnight (relative to my waking hours). Caleb was a bit ahead of Michael, so his will appear first. Hopefully it all fits into a single post. Caleb responded over multiple messages. I demarcate these messages with horizontal lines.

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Hi James,
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute by responding to your questions. I take every vote seriously as I should be accountable to my constituents. As part of that accountability, I will be responding to every one of your queries to the best of my ability to earn your trust and vote.
Registry/Registrar/DNS explanation: Yes, I can definitely explain these concepts to a fifth-grader using things they understand:
Imagine the internet is like a massive school with millions of classrooms (websites). Every classroom needs a unique room number (IP address like 192.168.1.1), but those numbers are hard to remember!

The Registry (CIRA for .ca) is like the principal's office that owns all the room nameplates ending in ".ca". They're the only ones allowed to make official Canadian classroom signs. They keep the master list of every Canadian classroom name.
Registrars (like GoDaddy, Tucows) are like the school supply stores. The principal's office doesn't sell directly to students - instead, these stores buy naming rights in bulk from the principal and sell individual nameplates to teachers. Some stores are fancier (more expensive), some are basic (cheaper), but they all get their Canadian nameplates from the same principal's office.
Registrants are the teachers (or anyone) who buy a nameplate for their classroom. When you buy "MrSmithsClass.ca", you're renting that nameplate for a year at a time.
DNS (Domain Name System) is like the helpful hall monitor with a magical map. When someone wants to visit "MrSmithsClass.ca", they ask the hall monitor, who instantly looks up "Oh, that's room 192.168.1.1" and points them there. Without DNS, we'd all have to memorize those long numbers!
Domain levels work like a mailing address, reading right to left:

".ca" = Canada (country)
"toronto.ca" = Toronto in Canada (city)
"library.toronto.ca" = The library in Toronto, Canada (building)
"kids.library.toronto.ca" = The kids section in that library (specific room)



Just like how LEGO headquarters designs the bricks, but you buy them at Toys"R"Us to build your creation - CIRA manages .ca domains, registrars sell them, and registrants (you) build your website!

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To establish one thing with clear evidence of me being at the top level of decision making and policy development related to the DNS, GTLD and ccTLDs, I have been involved in ICANN for over a decade now, and you can also see me on ICANN's website here in a working group trying to work on ICANN's continuous improvement .
You will see my name on the website there as well.

ICANN Continuous Improvement Program Makes Progress on a Draft Framework

Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group: 2020-2021 | Generic Names Supporting Organization

I also serve in the leadership of the Not-for-Profit Organizations Constituency (NPOC) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a Constituency of the Non-Commercial Stakeholders Group (NCSG), under the Generic Name Supporting Organization (GNSO) as specified by the ICANN Bylaws.
See website for details below

Leadership

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I currently serve on the Board of Trustees of the Internet Society, a global organization dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet. In this capacity, I participate in appointing Board Members to the Public Interest Registry (PIR), which serves as the registry operator for the .ORG generic top-level domain - one of the most trusted domains on the Internet, particularly for non-profit organizations worldwide.

Meet the Current Board of Trustees - Internet Society

The work we do in involves contributing to Open standards that contributes to internet development through the IETF.
Through my role on the Internet Society Board of Trustees, I strategically contribute to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the premier standards organization responsible for developing and promoting voluntary Internet standards that form the technical foundation of the global Internet.

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I also serve on the Canadian Internet Governance Forum All hand Committee

Committees - Canadian IGF

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CIRA's monopoly position:
CIRA does hold a unique position as the sole .ca operator / registry, which creates both privilege and responsibility. This influences my board decisions by requiring heightened accountability, transparent governance, constant community feedback mechanism, and ensuring we serve the public interest rather than just individual interests. We must balance financial sustainability with accessibility and Canadian digital sovereignty.

We have a duty to reinvest surplus into Canadian digital infrastructure and literacy
Transparency isn't optional - it's essential when you're the only game in town
We must actively seek input from diverse stakeholders since there's no competitive pressure to naturally drive innovation

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What makes me special:
I bring the unique combination of board governance expertise, technology leadership, and deep internet governance experience that CIRA needs to navigate Canada's digital future and sovereignty.

Technical understanding paired with the ability to translate complex concepts into accessible language
Experience bridging private sector innovation with public interest mandates
A track record of challenging conventional thinking while respecting institutional knowledge
Commitment to representing underserved communities in Canadian Internet governance

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Hey James,
More importantly, I understand that board service isn't about being special - it's about being useful. My role is to ask uncomfortable questions, ensure diverse perspectives are heard, and remember that we're stewarding a critical piece of Canadian infrastructure, not running a typical corporation.

Improving engagement: CIRA can significantly enhance member and stakeholder engagement through:

Meeting members where they are: Regional town halls in smaller communities, virtual sessions for remote participants, and partnerships with local organizations

Demystify our work: Create content that shows how CIRA impacts daily life - "Your local library's .ca domain keeps community resources Canadian-controlled" rather than technical governance speak

Create meaningful participation pathways:
Youth advisory councils for next-generation perspectives
Small business forums to understand their challenges
Indigenous community partnerships for reconciliation in digital spaces

Simplify without dumbing down: Provide executive summaries of board decisions, visual infographics of our impact, and clear before/after examples of policy changes

Two-way communication: Not just broadcasting what we do, but creating genuine feedback loops where member input visibly shapes decisions

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Sharing consent: Yes, you have my full consent to share these responses. Transparency in governance starts with transparency in candidacy.

Thank you for these thoughtful questions, James. They've helped me articulate positions that I believe are crucial for CIRA's future. I hope I've earned your confidence and your vote.

Best regards,

Caleb Ogundele

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Editorial note: Copy/pasting from LinkedIn to DN has created some phantom lists/ordering not part of Caleb's messages. I've done my best to clean it up but if the formatting looks odd, it is my failure and not Caleb's.

Michael's response below. Same editorial note as before - copy/pasting led to format errors I needed to cleanup manually.

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Hey James... thanks for reaching out...

These are my personal answers:

Since the knowledge & understanding of fifth-graders varies significantly, I'll go with the very simplest...

Registry = library. Registrar = librarian. Registrant = you borrowing a book. DNS = phone book. Domain levels = your house address.

Indeed, one could say CIRA does operate a "monopoly" over the .ca registry & with that comes both privilege & responsibility. I see this not as an entitlement but as a trust granted by fellow Canadians and by government policies. So, for me, personally, my decisions would strongly consider... public interest first, and, prudent growth & responsibility.

In terms of what makes me "special", that's a lot to unpack here in a message, so I suggest voters review my CV, LinkedIn and candidate application documents/video and the recorded meet-and-greet from the other day. I'm humbly not going to compare myself to other candidates, that's for members to manage, but, to briefly answer your question.... I have significant breadth and depth, with decades of experience on boards as well as an executive leading tech corporations reporting to boards. I'm digitally fluent and have very deep business experience. I bring value to the company, CEO and the board overall as a result. It's important to understand a board director is not a technical operator running the business; it is a fiduciary role. Operations / expertise belongs with the CEO & executive team.

CIRA engages with members and stakeholders already in multiple ways... outbound communications, website, soliciting feedback, cross country events, AGM, the recent meet-and-greet with director candidates, work with ICANN, influencing domestic and international government policy, cybersecurity education & offerings, annual grants to programs within our ecosystem, promoting .ca businesses, etc. Ideally, members engage in what CIRA already offers to the greatest extent possible. I'd love if all .ca holders were members, and used all our services. Could CIRA do more, sure... clearer communications, more accessible consultations, creating genuine two-way dialogue, actively listening, using more digital tools and regional outreach to broaden participation, then showing how input actually shapes CIRA’s decisions. Transparency plus follow-through. As I mentioned at the recent meet-and-greet, this is something we discuss at board meetings and always look to enhance.

You didn't say where you planned to share this, but sure, you can share it, noted as my personal opinions.

Be well.

Cheers,
Mike

Colleen's response below.

Editorial note: I tried to connect with Colleen via LinkedIn yesterday but I don't think it went through due to an email restriction. I only thought to directly email her (and did so) this morning.

Apart from Colleen (and Sharon and Marita as previously mentioned), all other candidates were at least sent a connection request via LinkedIn yesterday at approximately 12PM Central time.

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Hello James. Thank you for taking the time to reach out with some questions. Please feel free to share.



Great questions! Following are my responses:



1. Could you confidently explain the differences between a registry, a registrar, a registrant, the DNS, and domain levels to a fifth-grader?



Registry:

A registry is the organization that manages and maintains a country’s top-level domain (ccTLD). It ensures that domains within its domain system run securely and reliably.

Registrar:

A registrar is a retailer that has been accredited by a ccTLD to sell and manage domains on its behalf. Some of .CAs registrars include Tucows, GoDaddy and Rebel.



Registrant

A registrant is the owner of a domain name.

DNS

A domain name system (DNS) is the internet’s “telephone book”. Its database translates readable names (like books.ca) into IP addresses (the numeric language that computers use to communicate). When you type a website name into a browser, the DNS looks up the location of that domain and connects you to its server.



2. Do you believe CIRA is privileged as the operator of a monopoly and how does/would this influence your decisions at the board table?



The Canadian government has provided CIRA with the privilege of being the monopoly that serves as the steward of Canada’s top-level domain. At the board table I recognize that the privilege of managing and securing this critical national resource comes with great responsibility. As a board member, I serve our members and stakeholders by ensuring that CIRA retains this trust by acting responsibly, fairly and transparently and in the best interests of those it serves.



3. There's a lot of talented people both on and competing to be on the board. What makes you special?



The strengths I would bring to the board are a unique combination of practical experience, governance insight, and cross-sector perspective.



I am a CPA and, for more than 20 years, have worked at the executive level in finance, corporate services, and IT across not-for-profit, government, and regulatory organizations, I understand how to balance operational realities with strategic priorities. I have served on boards and committees that required rigorous financial oversight, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.



For the past two years, I have served as the Chair of CIRA’s Finance, Audit, Investment and Risk management committee (FAIR). This has given me a strong foundation to contribute to CIRA’s governance and decision-making.

Beyond experience, I am committed to advancing CIRA’s mission: a trusted, accessible, and secure Canadian internet. I focus on collaboration, listening to diverse perspectives, and ensuring decisions are data-informed and aligned with member interests.

In short, I combine board and domain name experience, financial and operational expertise, and a passion for the Canadian internet— all focused on delivering meaningful results for CIRA and its members.


4. How do you think CIRA can improve member and stakeholder engagement?

I believe that we need to ask members what they need (not assume what they need) and act on that need.

This might include:

- Hosting more virtual and in-person events. This would help CIRA members hear directly from board members and staff, ask questions, and share feedback on CIRA’s priorities.

I saw the value of these events at the recent “Canadians Connected” held in Charlottetown. Tech expert Amber Mac and a local entrepreneur delved into the nuances of Canadian e-entrepreneurship, sharing experiences and insights that resonated with attendees. The event facilitated meaningful connections among Canadian internet stakeholders, providing a platform for sharing ideas and fostering collaborations

- Another idea might be to create topic-specific panels (e.g., cybersecurity, digital equity, privacy, registry services).

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to these important questions.

Kind regards,

Colleen Arnold

Keith's response below.

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Thanks for reaching out James. Here's my responses. Please feel free to share.

"(Yes/No, please) Could you confidently explain the differences between a registry, a registrar, a registrant, the DNS, and domain levels to a fifth-grader?"


Yes.


"Do you believe CIRA is privileged as the operator of a monopoly and how does/would this influence your decisions at the board table?"


Yes, I believe that CIRA is privileged to be the operator and as a result holds great responsibility in being the body that governs the .ca domain. This is why I would like to serve on their board. I want to be a voice for the members ensuring that CIRA acts in accordance with the wishes of the members and in the best interest of Canadians.


"There's a lot of talented people both on and competing to be on the board. What makes you special?"

I bring a unique mixture of a deep technical background, cybersecurity expertise, financial and leadership experience.. I’m a computer scientist with 30 years industry experience, a decade of leadership experience as well as former board experience where I served as board member, finance committee chair and treasurer on the Victorian Order of Nurses Middlesex-Elgin (VON) board. My background gives me the governance experience, strategic thinking and hands on expertise to make a top quality board member.


"How do you think CIRA can improve member and stakeholder engagement?"


I’d like to see more online engagement where conversations can be held publicly 365 days a year, CIRA members can reach out to board members and staff and engage in constructive dialogue about the work that CIRA does and the services it provides. Whether that be a Slack server or on online forum like Discourse. A place where the community can interact similar to how large open-source software projects run.


"(Yes/No, please) Do you consent to me sharing your responses?"

Yes.

jamesaepp said:

Keith's response below.

"(Yes/No, please) Could you confidently explain the differences between a registry, a registrar, a registrant, the DNS, and domain levels to a fifth-grader?"


Yes.

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He's joking, right? :O

I'm having a hard time picking ANY of the people selected from the Nomination committee. I am not generally a fan of wasting votes, but there are 5 candidates and 3 of them will be voted in...

CIRA also posted some the individual candidate video statements on their YouTube channel:
CIRA 2025 Election
(I've added them to a 2025 election playlist in order of uploads).

I also find it difficult to give my vote to any of those who vow transparency and more membership engagement, yet they have been on the board before without there being any visible improvement on that matter. I know this is likely easier said than done, but now that they have been on the board, maybe they could speak to why it's difficult. But likely this is also a difficult topic considering that there's supposed to be one board and one voice.

FM said:

I also find it difficult to give my vote to any of those who vow transparency and more membership engagement, yet they have been on the board before without there being any visible improvement on that matter. I know this is likely easier said than done, but now that they have been on the board, maybe they could speak to why it's difficult. But likely this is also a difficult topic considering that there's supposed to be one board and one voice.

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Thank you for raising this very important point. You’re absolutely right that current board members are limited in what we can say publicly. Even when we have differing views on hot topics like CEO pay visibility or service diversification, once the board adopts a position, we are obligated to speak with one voice in support of the board’s position. That’s part of good governance, even if it can sometimes feel frustrating from the outside.

Of course, if you want to ask me about something the board hasn’t discussed, like whether CIRA should start a space program, I’d be happy to give you my personal thoughts!