Video – Fixing Canada’s Electoral System: Four Fallacies

What doesn’t the Harper government want you to know?

As it turns out, apparently the Harper Conservatives want to keep you from knowing quite a bit. 







The Conservative Party ran on a platform of open responsible and transparent government, but at their current rate they will soon be the most secretive on record.
“Secret meetings”, somewhat of a tradition in majority governments, are becoming more and more regular at the House of Commons.  

Lately, government committees are holding a large percentage of their meetings in camera, denying the public access to what was discussed and decided.
In a number of recent articles, Elizabeth Thompson compared the number of secret meetings held under the liberal and conservative majority governments.

While the Liberals were ahead, the Conservative Government, at their current rate, will soon hold the record as the least transparent government in recent history.

The top three most secretive committees according to Thompson’s article are,

1. The Standing committee Procedure and House affairs which has spent a record 62.7 percent of its time in camera
2. The Standing Committee of Public Accounts at 50 percent
3. The Standing Committee for the Status of Women at 42 percent.

While the Liberal and Conservative governments bicker over who has hidden more from Canadians, the Green Party is the only party asking why they are hiding at all?

Under the leadership of Elizabeth May, we are working to ensure these secret committees are held to account.  Take action in demanding an open, transparent, accountable government today, by to writing Prime Minister Harper, and challenging he follow through on his promise of a transparent government.

The text below is the letter I just sent to Prime Minister Harper. Please feel free to copy my letter and write to the Prime Minister yourself and demand open and accountable government.

Dear Prime Minister Harper,

The Conservative Party ran on a platform of open responsible and transparent government, but at the current rate your government will soon be the most secretive on record.

“Secret meetings”, somewhat of a tradition in majority governments, are becoming more and more regular at the House of Commons. 

Lately, government committees are holding a large percentage of their meetings in camera, denying the public access to what was discussed and decided.

Canada should be a leader in democracy and I write to you to demand an open, transparent, accountable government.

You ran on a promise of transparency and accountability and Canadians expect you to follow through on your promise of a transparent government.

Regards, Mark Daye

James sentence should be appealed

OTTAWA - The Green Party of Canada is joining the calls for the Manitoba government to appeal the Graham James sentence.  The former junior hockey coach was sentenced to a paltry two years for sexually abusing the young boys under his care.

“We are very concerned that this light sentence will have a profound effect on other victims who may never come forward, since they do not appear to be taken seriously,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands.

“This man could be out of prison by the end of the year.  The punishment does not seem to fit the crime.”

“We also hope that treatment will be in place along with his punishment.  The victims deserve to know that everything possible is being done to ensure this pedophile will not harm another child,” said May.

Greens part of Moving Planet

This weekend, Canadian Greens will be taking part in a global movement to make the shift away from fossil fuels as part of our effort to solve the climate crisis.  Moving Planet, spearheaded by 350.org, is a worldwide rally, with thousands of events taking place in countries across the globe. 

Canadian Green Climate Change Critic Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu will be speaking at the Moving Planet event in Toronto's Queen's Park, along with local Green provincial candidate Mark Daye.  “We are highlighting the importance of green energy, a key issue here in Ontario,” said Mugnatto-Hamu.  “But even more than that, we are highlighting how many Canadians are part of this movement and are ready to take action.”

Deputy Green Leader Adriane Carr will also speak at an event in Vancouver.  “Canadians realize that we need to start the transition to a lower-carbon way of life and we are asking for governments and industry to join with us in taking meaningful action to achieve that goal,” said Carr.

Arctic and Northern Affairs Critic John Streicker is pleased more attention is finally being paid to climate change, an issue that hits close to home.  “We in the North have been seeing the impacts of climate change for many years and are continually taking action, including helping low income community members to bring down their energy costs.  Individual action is key and when we have a global mass action like Moving Planet, we see the power that can come from banding together.”

Toronto Centre Election Results

Preliminary Results

Toronto Centre   Party Candidate Votes % Votes

Libertarian	Judi Falardeau	271	0.5
Marxist-Leninist	Philip Fernandez	75	0.1
Communist	Catherine Holliday	165	0.3
Green Party	Ellen Michelson	2,949	5.3
Conservative	Kevin Moore	12,505	22.6
Liberal	Bob Rae	22,617	40.9
NDP-New Democratic Party	Susan Wallace	16,607	30.0
Independent	Bahman Yazdanfar	108	0.2

Total number of valid votes:

55,297

Polls reporting: 277/277	Voter turnout: 55,297 of 84,749 registered electors (65.3%)
The number of registered electors shown in this table does not include electors who registered on election day.

Third try’s a charm for Elizabeth May

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May became her party's first elected MP Monday night, the first Green in history in the House of Commons, after winning the Saanich Gulf Island riding on the west coast.
May took the seat from Conservative Gary Lunn — who had held the seat for 14 years — by almost 15 per cent more votes than the incumbent, a decisive win in a campaign that was an all-or-nothing gamble for the party.
It was a gamble that paid off.
This was May's third attempt at gaining a seat for herself and the Green Party, a perennial also-ran in ridings across the country.
Now more than ever with the Conservatives winning a majority, May said that the Green Party's voice is needed in Parliament.

“This is definitely going to be a much more aggressive and unrestrained government,” she said Monday night.
May won her seat after the Green Party poured in support into the riding in hopes of winning the party's first ever seat. The strategy worked for May even though it cost the party overall in popular support.
Last time, the Greens reached a high of 6.8 per cent of the popular vote but this time garnered only 4 per cent of the vote across the country.
“This campaign has been about commitment, passion, enthusiasm and excitement we could all feel that something different was happening,” May said to a crowd of over 800 supporters who gathered in a Sidney airplane hanger to hear the results Monday night.
May held the lead in her riding early on and her supporters broke into song once she was officially declared the winner singing This Land is Your Land, hugging and dancing in excitement.

Vote for Ellen Michelson on May 2nd

Ellen takes you on a quick tour that showcases some of Toronto Centre's wonderful variety, while highlighting some Green Party platform points. The video ends with an overview of her Community Democracy Ambassadors plan for Toronto Centre.

Ellen was Toronto Centre’s Green Party candidate in the October, 2008 general election; the riding re-nominated her in May, 2009.  Ellen serves as Peace and Security Critic in the Green Party of Canada Shadow Cabinet. 

Ellen is one of the original members of the WindShare co-operative, and is a member of the board of directors of the Conservation Foundation of Greater Toronto. She volunteers with Green Thumbs Growing Kids, the Bleecker-Wellesley Activity Network, and the Hot Docs and Regent Park film festivals. She’s a member of the Toronto Heliconian Club and the Women’s Art Association of Canada. She washes dishes at The 519 Church Street Community Centre’s Sunday drop-in, and organizes re-donating the books unsold at the Rosedale-Moore Park Community Association’s annual Mayfair Market.

For more about Ellen Michelson please visit: www.electellen.ca

Green Line: drawing out the vote

Pauline Thompson, Green Party of Canada Candidate for Scarborough - Agincourt

Pauline's Candidate Page

Some Candidates Meeting sponsored by Fair Vote Canada

Please come out to this meeting that FVT is co-sponsoring with CAPP. 

Ellen Michelson, Green Party of Canada

Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal
William Molls, NDP
Conservative (no-show again?)

Wed., April 20th, 7 pm, St. Paul's Church, 227 Bloor St. East.

Hoping for a good turnout for an interesting discussion and different from the usual all-candidates meetings. Bring your questions and comments on the need for fair voting.

Debate Restriction

Anthony Jenkins; The Globe & Mail

A Debate History Lesson

Surely by now you've hear all about the decision by the elite media consortium to exclude Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May from the televised debates coming up next week (English, April 12th and French April 14th).  

 Click here to help!

This decision shows a disgusting lack of regard for the Canadian people and for our democracy. The  current powers that be have come up with all sorts of lame reasons why the Greens are not allowed, the main one being that the Green Party of Canada held no seats at the time that parliament fell because the Conservatives were held in contempt, a first for the Commonwealth, by the way.

Here are a few examples from the past, which, in my opinion help to illustrate that the media consortium has it's own agenda.

In the 1988 federal election the Bloc Quebecois did not exist. Gilles Duceppe was elected in a by-election two years later ...as an independent, not as a Bloc candidate. Despite having no seats in Parliament, no official recognition from the Speaker and only 75 candidates out of 295 ridings, the Bloc Quebecois was included in both the French and English debates. The Bloc has never fielded a candidate outside Quebec but continues to participate in debates in both official languages.

In the 1988 general election, the Reform Party ran 72 candidates, received 276,000 votes and won no seats. By the time of the 1993 election, the Reform Party’s only sitting member was Deborah Grey following her win in a 1989 by-election. Reform did not have Official Party status and did not win a seat in the 1988 election but Preston Manning participated in the 1993 leaders’ debate, based on the 11,154 votes Deborah Grey received in a 1989 by-election with a 47 per cent turnout. In 1993, the party ran only 207 candidates.

In 1979, the Social Credit Party was excluded from the debate despite the fact that it had 11 seats in Parliament at the time of dissolution. And in 1997, both the NDP and Progressive Conservatives were included in the debate despite not having Official Party status.

 Click here to help!

It's Time... Vote Green!

Merlin endorses Toronto-Danforth candidate Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu

Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu is the Green Party of Canada candidate in the Toronto-Danforth  riding east of downtown Toronto.

Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson to run for Green Party

Source: Times - Colonist
Canadian born Pamela Anderson announced on Friday that she was going to run for the Green Party in her home community of Nanaimo.

The former Baywatch star and Peta activist was spurred to run in part from the Green Party's exclusion from the leader's debate early this week.

"I've always been passionate about environmental activism," said Anderson. "This election just seemed like the perfect time to come forward and do my part."

Known for her provocative advertisement for animal rights, the former television star feels that politics would be a natural transition. She spent a lot of time working with high production teams before, and she feels that she could handle the pressures of political life.

Green Party files court challenge over debate snub.

From the CBC
The Green Party of Canada has filed an application with the Federal Court of Appeal to challenge a broadcast consortium's exclusion of leader Elizabeth May from the election campaign's televised leaders debates.
The party is requesting a judicial review of CRTC regulations that say the consortium of Canadian broadcasters, including CBC/Radio-Canada, is not required to include all leaders of political parties in debate programs.
On Tuesday, consortium decided to exclude May from the English and French debates, which are scheduled to be held on April 12 and April 14 in Ottawa.

Elizabeth May Press Conference Friday.

31 March 2011 - 2:58pm
 
VICTORIA / OTTAWA – Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green party of Canada, will hold a join press conference on Friday, April 1, with Linda Keen, former President of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Association.

The press conference will be held jointly with Ms. May in Victoria and Ms. Keen in Ottawa.

Ms. May and Ms. Keen will be addressing the broadcast consortium's recent decision to ban the Green Party's leader Elizabeth May from the televised debates; April 12th (Eng.) & April 14th, (Fr).

TTC Bans Political Campaign Posters in Subway Stations

Green Party candidates told they can't advertise inside TTC, but only on the sides of buses

The Toronto Transit Commission ("TTC") is now refusing political advertising on subway platforms during the current federal election campaign. This represents an abrupt change of policy from previous elections.

The Supreme Court of Canada decided in 2009 that public transit systems were subject to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A ban on political ads on the sides of Vancouver buses was determined to be a violation of the freedom of expression. The TTC is complying with the court ruling to the extent of allowing ads on transit vehicles.

Green Party candidates in several Toronto ridings had been negotiating with TTC ad sales agents over the last month, and had already ordered artwork for posters conforming to specifications provided. They were shocked by the seeming arbitrariness of the decision, and questioned its timing.

"I'm disappointed." said Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu, the Green Party candidate in the riding of Toronto-Danforth currently held by Jack Layton. "There was a giant Layton poster with an NDP logo on the Broadview Station subway platform just days ago. Everyone knew an election was imminent. All I want is a fair opportunity to get my message out."

 Ellen Michelson, the Green Party candidate for Toronto Centre, was similarly affected. "We can buy political advertising for transit vehicles, but those go all over the city", she noted. "Voters deserve the opportunity to learn about candidates in their own ridings. I would like to reach public transit travellers at the subway stops in Toronto Centre, and candidates in other ridings deserve no less."

"The TTC has permitted political ads on its subway platforms in previous elections", Andrew James, a legal writer and candidate for council last year in Toronto-Danforth, observed. "There is no principled difference between a political ad on a subway platform and a political ad on a bus. But there's a huge practical difference. If this decision stands, it undercuts the ideal of representative democracy by confirming the primacy of party branding over local candidates."

/For further information: Blog post:
http://danforthgreens.ca/ttc-posters/
Ad barred from TTC (hi res):
http://danforthgreens.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/adriana-mugnatto-hamu-green-party-campaign-poster-for-ttc2.jpg
Jack Layton ad in TTC last week:
http://danforthgreens.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/jack-layton-ad-in-broadview-ttc-station.jpg/

 

Elizabeth May barred from televised debates, AGAIN!

Elizabeth May has been denied entry into the televised leaders’ debates.

Instead of speaking up to defend true democracy, other party leaders seem relieved—perhaps due to the glowing reviews Elizabeth received after her first appearance in the 2008 debates.

What kind of democracy excludes a party with the support of one million of its citizens?

What kind of democracy allows a handful of TV executives to decide that a party that only runs candidates in one province has more right to be in a national leaders’ debate than a party with candidates in every riding?

In the last election, your voices won Elizabeth her rightful place in the debates. We can’t believe that we have to ask you to rally on her behalf yet again. But we do.

Here’s what you can do:

• Vote in CBC’s poll on whether Elizabeth should be invited to the leaders’ debates
• Donate to support Elizabeth’s battle for inclusion
• Sign our petition
• Send a text message to the Chair of the Media Consortium, Mr. Troy Reeb of Global TV on his cell phone at 647-261-3752
• Email the news directors of consortium members CBC, CTV, Global, TVA
• Email party leaders Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Michael Ignatieff and Gilles Duceppe
• Forward this message to your friends and family

With your help, Elizabeth will show Canadians why Greens belong in the House of Commons. And why there’s no debate that she belongs in the debates.
Thank you for taking part in our fight for true democracy in Canada.

Budget fails to address Canada’s triple deficits

“Canada faces a triple deficit.  We have an economic deficit, an ecological deficit, and a social deficit,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “While there are a number of small, but welcome, changes in this year’s budget, overall, the government has missed the chance to address these growing deficits. Despite some welcome small measures in EI relief, the increasing EI premiums continue to threaten economic recovery, while hurting workers and job creation.”

The Green Party welcomed the stay of execution for the popular ecoEnergy Home Retrofit programme, as well as the small replenishment for climate science through funding to NSERC of $7 million/year.  As well, the Guaranteed Income Supplement to seniors and the programme to assist doctors and nurses settling in remote areas mirrors Green Party policies.

“Sadly, the government is still in denial about the structural deficit.  A government serious about eliminating the economic deficit would not continue to cut corporate tax rates. Nor would they continue to subsidize fossil fuels and nuclear power.  In fact, Stephen Harper pledged at the 2009 G-20 to end our fossil fuels subsidies.  Instead, this budget simply reduces the higher levels of subsidies for oil sands production and brings them to the same level as conventional oil and gas.  But the industry will still have a generous tax benefit for ‘preparation,’ logging and scraping away the earth to reach the bitumen and preparations for in situ mining as well,” said Elizabeth May.

“Surely, the multi-billion dollar oil sands industry is mature and no longer in need of government assistance, especially with oil at over $100/barrel,” said Eric Walton, candidate for Kingston and The Islands.

“We were also surprised to see an increase in support for the nuclear industry in Canada – up $100 million since last year to a total of $405 million in this year’s budget,” said Jean-Luc Cooke, member of the Green Shadow Cabinet.

The government has failed to deal with the ecological deficit.  Small amounts, such as $2.5 million a year for two years for the Great Lakes demonstrate the government’s lack of understanding of the extent of the problems facing ecosystem health in our largest waterways.

While the social deficit does receive some welcome funding, the failure to provide any new funding for education in First Nations communities is a huge disappointment given the clear message from the Assembly of First Nations that this is their top priority.  Money to address the problem of leaking underground oil tanks on FN reserves ($22 million over 2 years) is merely a small measure of federal responsibility to deal with that problem.”

The government has continued its fascination with “boutique” tax cuts that madden serious economists.  The new child artistic tax credit is lovely, but does not help families too poor to afford the artistic or wilderness experience in the first place.

“Overall, this ‘steady as she goes’ budget reflects the lack of imagination, vision or plan of this government.  There may be something for everyone -- $5 million to celebrate the Grey Cup and $5 million for the Calgary Stampede, here a bridge, there a bridge and a re-announcement of the train to Peterborough, but overall, this is a pedestrian, mediocre and inadequate response to the action Canada needs,” said Elizabeth May.

Rick Mercer Spoof of Green Party of Canada Ad