On the 15th anniversary of the release of the Bitcoin white paper, Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) Joël Lightbound took the opportunity to thank Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudo-anonymous founder of Bitcoin (BTC), in the Canadian Parliament while advocating for research into the leading crypto currency.
Speaking in Parliament, Lightbound revealed that he owns Bitcoin but would not advocate for people to buy it. Instead, he wanted people to study and understand it. He added that Bitcoin was created during a time of financial crisis and over the years it has become a tool to empower people who are underbanked and living under oppressive regimes.
“Bitcoin has helped thousands of families avoid the tragedy of currency devaluation. It represents the ideal of true progress. So today, let me thank Satoshi Nakamoto, whoever it is, and wish the Bitcoin white paper a happy 15th anniversary.”
During his speech, the congressman quoted two key quotes, one from former Twitter CEO and Bitcoin advocate Jack Dorsey, and the other from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gary Gensler, which surprised many considering Gensler’s hostility. Since becoming SEC Chairman, he has been working on cryptocurrencies. However, the quote cited by the congressman was from 2019, when Gensler was not SEC Chairman.
canadian parliamentarian @ Joel光界 Thank you Satoshi Nakamoto and encourage people to “learn #bitcoin“Yesterday in a speech in the Canadian Parliament.
quote a compelling quote @Jack and @garygenslerhe outlined #bitcoin Empowering people around the world.
— MUSQET (@Musqet_Bitcoin) November 1, 2023
Gensler wrote in a 2019 opinion piece that while there are thousands of projects in the crypto ecosystem, the projects created by Satoshi Nakamoto have the potential to spur change “directly or indirectly as catalysts.” He added, “Reducing verification and network costs is worth pursuing, especially to reduce economic rents and data privacy costs and promote economic inclusion.”
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Gensler also Tweet To commemorate this event on the 15th anniversary of the release of the Bitcoin white paper. However, he included a compliance message, suggesting that any “cryptocurrency companies that defraud investors should start making them comply with securities laws.”
Before taking on the role of SEC Chairman, the crypto community was quite optimistic about Gensler’s appointment given his background in cryptography teaching. However, his tenure as SEC chairman was fraught with controversy and disappointment in the cryptocurrency community.
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