According to a letter I received in the mail today (I had no idea people still used ‘letters’ for communication anymore), Microsoft is launching a new ‘Canadian Open License for Government’ program.

The Post-It Note is for my own protection - click for a larger view

Details are rather scarce at the moment. The letter indicates that more information is available from http://www.microsoft.ca/licensing, but there isn’t even a full article present, just the following text:

Government Open License Program Announcement
On June 1st, 2010, Microsoft is launching the Government Open License program in Canada, which will reduce the cost of Open Licenses for Government organizations by approximately 20 percent. This new Volume License Program will also provide flexibility to Canadian Government organizations as customers will now have a viable option to procure licenses from their reseller of choice at competitive prices.

Eligibility
With an initial purchase of five or more licenses, customers can acquire products as needed over the term of their agreement. Government organizations will also have to meet the eligibility definition requirements in order to qualify for the Government Open License Program: English – French.

For more information, or to find a Microsoft reseller near you, call the Microsoft Resource Centre at (877) 568-2495.

I called the number listed, and the lady I spoke with said that she had information that was passed to her, but she was unsure if she was allowed to give it out. What did tell me wasn’t any different than what the text above said – qualifying Government organizations (definitions of ‘qualifying’ vary depending on if you are part of the government or how much funding you receive if you’re a contractor).

So in short, if you meet Microsoft’s definition of a Government organization in Canada, you can now obtain software at a 20% discount.