At first, it seemed like little more than a grabby hashtag allowing Mass Effect fans to have their voices heard after EA's shocking closure of BioWare and cancelation of Mass Effect 5 last month. But since then, the Change.org petition has racked up more than 300,000 signatures, and now the Canadian government is being forced to acknowledge the situation.

That's because a separate petition asking the Government of Canada for federal support for BioWare has far surpassed the amount of signatures required (3488 currently with a 500-vote threshold) to be certified and presented in the House of Commons. The rules of the Parliament say "the government must respond to every petition presented to the House within 45 calendar days of its presentation or filing with the Clerk."

The petition for federal support isn't about saving Mass Effect specifically, but securing financial support so that BioWare can go independent. It has three stated goals: "Provide BioWare with the capital necessary to secure independence of themselves and their intellectual property from Electronic Arts and resume business as an independent, Canadian company," "Protect Canadian businesses and cultural institutions from being dictated by American and foreign corporate interests," and "Champion the values of inclusivity, tolerance, democracy, justice, and civil rights at the centre of Canada's national identity by preserving BioWare's invaluable contribution to the global entertainment industry."

The fact that the Canadian government is now required to respond the petition is encouraging enough, and now the Member of Parliament representing the official request is voicing his support for BioWare, Mass Effect, and the overall movement online.

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