A petition calling on the Canadian government to intervene in BioWare's closure has gathered 1,662 verified signatures, meeting the threshold required for presentation to Canada's House of Commons. Started by Brendan Routh and authorized by Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies, the petition argues that BioWare represents a major cultural export for Canada.
"BioWare is one of Canada's most important cultural exports to the world in the 21st century, selling tens of millions of units of their video games globally," the petition states. It describes BioWare's games as championing inclusivity, tolerance, democracy, justice, and civil rights aligned with Canadian national identity.
The petition names Electronic Arts as the company that shuttered BioWare, noting that EA is owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. It frames the closure as "possibly a targeted attack on Canada's cultural legacy."
The signatories call on the Canadian government to provide BioWare with capital to secure independence from Electronic Arts and resume operations as an independent Canadian company. They also request protections for Canadian businesses from being controlled by American and foreign corporate interests.
Once presented to the House of Commons, the petition will receive an official government response.