Except that the Canadian Mint is not a private company.  Its capital base is 100% taxpayer funded.  The government owns it.

I was gonna say this but Casascius beat me to it.

Mintchips ARE the digital currency they were trying to promote. And the winning votes basically said "Mintchips are a great way to buy something even better, which is not Mintchip". Or they were thinking of adopting Bitcoins in the first place and set the site up to do a mystery poll on the public to get clues on how to market it right.

And I bet you a thousand non-existing BTC that's exactly what they were doing as I'm sure all those big players in the business have been brooding about this as early as everybody else on here.

Btw, this thread always makes me lust for mint chocolate chips...

I seriously think it was a misunderstanding. To them, it seemed like an obscure group conspired to vote "use mintchip to buy zangalabapops online"...

Dang, maybe we should've put 25 bitcoin related suggestions up.

An online currency could be used to buy bitcoin ASICs.

An online currency could be used to invest in bitcoin hedge funds.

An online currency could be used to pay for bitcoin laundering services.

Etc, etc.

They still are a bunch of assholes! that's all you need to know

"The Mint is a for-profit Crown Corporation with a mandate to produce circulation and non-circulation coins (for Canada and other countries), manage the domestic coinage system, and provide advice to the Minister of Finance on all matters related to coinage. It also extends to the production and marketing of bullion and related refinery products and services for profit. Legislation which establishes the Mint is clear that the corporation is to conduct its businesses "in anticipation of profit". That fundamental object has shaped the history of the Mint."

Source: http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/about-the-mint/corporate-information-1300004

Folks, come on... What was the idea anyway - use government-backed digital currency to buy a decentralized digital currency? No offense, but there is nothing innovative about this. Actually, there is, but it was not explained at all. Try to see it from their perspective.

I am happy that this brought some attention to bitcoin - including members of the panel. I am sure some of them will be smart and curious enough to read and think more about Bitcoin. Good enough for me.

They are ridicolous, they didn't even release their product sofar and they already lie