It's Time to Fix Politics as Usual in Ontario

Submitted by Mike Schreiner on Tue, 2011-09-13 12:07

 

Today the Media Consortium came out from behind closed doors just long enough to announce their plans for the debate, which at the moment don't include a seat at the table for the Green Party of Ontario.

I sincerely appreciate the support I have received, from people from all walks of life and all political backgrounds in communities across the province. Thank you. Please know that we will continue to do everything we can to ensure our voice is heard and your issues are discussed during this campaign.

Regardless of what happens, I will continue to travel across the province and speak to Ontarians about sensible, long-term solutions for tackling some of the most important challenges we face today – the disappearance of good, local jobs, rising energy prices and climate change and the sustainability of our public health care system.

I am committed to ending politics as usual. I will continue to stand up for communities by supporting efforts such as the grassroots campaign by community members and farmers to stop the mega quarry and protect our farmland and clean water in Melancthon Township.

We will continue to push the consortium and the other party Leaders’ to support democratic debates, and we will continue to ask important questions that Ontarians care about.  We will also continue to get our message out in every way we can – online, traditional media and the best way of all, by knocking on doors talking directly with our neighbours.

This is just another example of politics as usual, and we need your help to fix it. It’s time for Green MPPs to bring a new fresh approach to politics at Queen’s Park.

I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail,

Mike Schreiner

Ontario’s (unfair & biased) televised provincial election debate set for Sept. 27

The date when the leaders of Ontario’s three largest political parties will duke it out on television has been announced.
The Ontario TV Debate Consortium, made up of broadcasters CBC, CTV, Global, Sun News Network and TV Ontario, said Friday that the debate will air from 6:30-8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 27.
Consortium spokesperson Jeff Keay said there is no word yet on venue, location or format.
“All I can tell you officially is to expect more announcements shortly,” he said.
The debate will feature Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.


Source: The Toronto Star

Elizabeth May Answers the Debate Questions

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the executives of the big five TV networks decided their opinion mattered more than yours, more than the over 120,000 Canadians like you who signed the petition.

However, while they can keep Elizabeth May off their own airwaves, they can’t silence her. You said you want to hear what Elizabeth has to say on the issues being debated, and you can.

Tonight during the debate, from 7-9 p.m. Eastern time, Elizabeth May will respond to the questions put to the other leaders. You can watch that live in real time on the web site of the Vancouver Sun:

www.vancouversun.com/news/decision-canada/debate.html

Immediately following the debate, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, Elizabeth May will hold a press conference, which you can watch via live streaming video: www.greenparty.ca/live

And be sure to follow Elizabeth’s real time comments in her blog and on Twitter.

Blog: www.greenparty.ca/en/blog/7
Twitter: @ElizabethMay

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!

Federal Court judge denies Elizabeth May her bid to join leaders' debates

Federal Court judge denies Elizabeth May her bid to join leaders' debates

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).

All-Candidates Debate

Several All-Candidates’ debates are being held in this by-election. In order to ensure everyone in the community has an opportunity to meet the candidates and to ensure community and LGBT issues are at the forefront of the campaign, The 519 and Xtra will host an all-candidates debate at The Centre.

Toronto Centre 2010 By-Election All-Candidates Debate
Co-Hosted by The 519 and Xtra!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010 FROM 7:00 TO 9:30 PM

The 519 Community Centre Auditorium

Members of the public are encouraged to submit potential questions either electronically through our website or in person at The 519.  Questions will be accepted until 7:00 PM on the day of the debate.  Due to time constraints, opportunities to ask questions from the floor will be very limited.  For more informatoin about the debate, debate hosts and how to submit questions, click here.

ALL-CANDIDATES DEBATE

(Provincial By - Election Toronto Centre on 4^th February, 2010)

Wellesley Community Centre- Room B

495 Sherbourne Steet

View Larger Map

Date : Monday 18^th January, 2010

Time : 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m

Candidates :

Glen Murray (Liberal Party)

Pamela Taylor (Conservative Party)

Cathy Crowe (New Democratic Party)

Stefan Premdas (Green Party Of Ontario)

Knowledge is power - elect the right person!

Present the social issues and needs of the St. James Town Community and Area  For more information call :

Gene Lara : (416) 934-0171

Everett Collrin : (416) 929-7358

A public service of the St. James Town Safety Committee and The Warehouse Mission

Elizabeth May to be included in televised debate

Here is the letter from the Green Party leader:

Dear Green Party Supporter,

I am writing to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for supporting my campaign to be included in the televised leaders' debates.

Because of you and countless thousands like you who donated money and deluged the airwaves, the Internet, newspaper letters columns and politicians' inboxes with a national outpouring of outrage, the broadcasters have now reversed their decision to exclude the Green Party.

I am both humbled and inspired by what I have witnessed in the past few days – the exhilarating spectacle of Canadians rising up to protest a blatant injustice.

Your victory isn't just a victory for the Green Party, it's a victory for democracy and for the fundamental Canadian values of equality and fairness.

Thank you again for standing up for democracy.