Conservative Amnesty Act, or Butchering Democracy

I am in total despair over the Cons' plan to butcher democracy, or as Canadian Cynic dubs it:

Critics should simply start referring to the "Fair Elections Act" as the "Conservative Amnesty Act." Oh, the hilarity.

— CC (@canadiancynic) February 8, 2014

I was going to blog and collected a bunch of links.

Chantal Hébert

Marc Mayrand

Andrew Coyne

And Alison @ Creekside's expansion on Coyne's thoughts

Stephen Maher

Don Martin

Finally, Michael Harris's excoriations.

But really, it can all be summed up by this:

.#cdnpoli The scariest thing about the #UnfairElxnsAct is how brazenly it screams "We cheated b4, we'll do it again & you'll never prove it"

— Penny Mills (@Pennyvane10) February 9, 2014

And we are absolutely helpless to stop them.

Unless. . . there are 18 or so principled Cons willing to vote against their party.

One thing to do today. Participate in the Council of Canadians' Hold the Phone campaign.

I don't have a Con MP (thank the goddess). The Council suggests calling one nearby.

I'm going to call Peter Kent, who claims his self-imposed demotion to the backbench will give him the opportunity to "express my mind and opinion across all our files."

I'll report.

UPDATE: First, all day the title of this has had "Butching" in it. Just noticed and fixed. Kee-rist. DJ! readers are lousy proofreaders. (It's all YOUR fault.)

Next, I called Kent's constituency office and talked to a pleasant young (sounding) man. I explained that I didn't live in the riding and why I chose Kent to voice my concerns to. The man assured me that my comments would be passed along, but that I should put them in writing as well. I told him I had already, but that I wanted to call so that someone would hear my voice and understand how deeply upset I am about this bill. (Thought that was a rather nifty move on my part, playing emotional old doll card.) No email reply yet and the bill passed second reading tonight, which apparently limits the sort and scope of amendments that can be made in committee.

So. They win.

But. #UnFairElxnsAct (Council of Canadians suggested hashtag, q.v.) trended today. We did what we could.

And. Justin Trudeau had pressing business elsewhere, I guess. He wasn't in the House to vote against this. Not that it would have made any difference, but.

Tar Sands: difference between The Tyee and StunTV is journalism

The Tyee responds to Ezra Levant's shallow, confrontational StunTV "Straight News Hard Talk" questions about its journalistic approach to covering the tar sands.

In your online reply to my comments, you say the Tyee's reporting is balanced. Have you ever published a pro-oilsands article?

The news reporting we publish does not set out to be pro or anti oil sands. We are interested in reporting that helps everyone get a better idea of whether the oil sands are sustainable, where the wealth they generate goes, how the oil sands might affect climate change, and such. We start with questions and are pleased to publish whatever answers we unearth. If the answers we arrive at aren't considered 'pro' oil sands by you or others, well, that's where the facts took us.

Here is another - and also hilarious! - spoof about the tar sands, one that features Harper government Enviro Minister Peter Kent.

So you think you can ozone?

Canadian Cynic observes: Holy fuck ... Canada's Minister of Environment Peter Kent is either retarded or drunk again.

Our response: I'll take *Substance Abuse By Contempt Party Ministers* for $200, Alex.

Here's the news story that precipitated the Question Period classic obfuscation by the Harper Con jobs.

Aaaaand once more, this brilliant spoof of e-Harmony, produced by Greenpeace.

Enjoy.

More DJ! posts about Kent.

Just Oozing Ethical Snake Oil

Go read Alison at Creekside: Ethical Snake Oil.

She also produced an excellent post deconstructing and excoriating Contempt Party government minister Peter Kent's "new and improved" public relations campaign to whitewash the tar sands.

It's time to re-post this lovely spoof.

The New Grassroots

Great article by our pal, Antonia Zebisias, on the new grassroots.

In the olden days, about, oh, three years ago, citizens who engaged in political campaigns had to get off their sofas and into church basements and candidates meetings.

They knocked on doors, dropped off flyers, planted signs.

They put the act in activism, the haul ass in grassroots.

Today, during Canada’s 41st federal election, or #elxn41 as it’s called on Twitter, voters don’t need to shiver in the cold shilling for their candidate. They can commiserate with friends on Facebook, fight the power via Twitter and put their politics on YouTube.

Well-researched as usual, it's great roundup and overview of what people are doing and what the pundits are saying about it.

Among others, AZ mentioned the group close to my heart -- as regular readers will know.

Another CAPP spin-off is Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper (CRUSH), which the Conservatives have described as “a radical anti-Stephen Harper group.” More than 6,500 strong, the registered non-profit has invested thousands of dollars on newspaper ads.

“I have received small amounts of cash in envelopes from very ordinary folks from all corners of the country, usually accompanied with a nice note complementing us on defending our democracy,” says founder Bill Nobels, a retired Ryerson University film and video professor.

Since the election was called the radical gang has come up with another tactic, Adopt-A-Riding.

Individual members identify a riding with a vulnerable Con in it, do some media research, then try to raise dough to buy ads in local papers.

The first one was Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar. Mission accomplished. Ads will appear Monday.

Next was Vaughan and Thornhill, one ad buy, two targetted Cabinet Ministers. A two-fer!

Done. Money raised.

Next up, West Nova.

Brad Bossack, sponsor of this one did the research:

Three newspapers cover the whole riding, the Middleton Spectator, the Digby Courier, and the Yarmouth Vanguard. I've decided that 1/4 page ad in all three would be a fairly easy achievable goal for the cost of 618.91.

That one's in the bag too.

Now, CRUSHers have their eye on: Haldimand-Norfolk currently held by the lovely and talented Minister of Something or Other, Diane Finley, a noted social commentator best known for observations like these:

On employment insurance: “We do not want to make it lucrative for them to stay home and get paid for it.”

On child care: “The Liberals wanted to ensure that parents are forced to have other people raise their children. We do not believe in that.”

She's married to the lovely and talented Senator Doug Finley, he of In/Out fame.

This is just grand. Ordinary, pissed-off Canadians rising up (couldn't resist) to defend democracy. Our democracy. Not Stevie Peevie's. Ours.

Got a few bucks to spare? Want to defend democracy from the odious Finleys? Donate.

Targets: Peter Kent and Julian Fantino

Unseat Harper member Pam Allard is focussing on Peter Kent and Julian Fantino in the Adopt-a-Riding initiative.

I am proposing a new adopt-a-riding initiative to cover the ridings of Vaughan and Thornhill in the GTA. In Vaughan, Julian Fantino was elected in last November's by-election by around 1,000 votes. Liberal candidate Mario Ferri has the best chance of defeating Fantino, and in light of this week's news about questionable federal funding for a health centre there, Fantino may be even more vulnerable. Thornhill, which is adjacent to Vaughan, is currently held by Con. Peter Kent and is being challenged by Lib. Karen Mock. Please check out these links for more information about these crucial ridings:

Thornhill

Fantino

Advertising with York Media to cover both ridings would cost us $1443. The ad would run in the Vaughan Citizen, The Thornhill Liberal and in the Markham Economist Sun, reaching over a very large populated area.

If you would like to support this campaign please donate at Unseat Harper and message me that you want your donation to be used towards this ad campaign. It is important that Canadians Defending Democracy have an accurate record of donations to our ads. As this is advocacy, tax receipts cannot be issued and as a third party advertiser donations in excess of $200. aggregate in the 6 months prior to the election must be reported to Elections Canada.

Time is short. So is money, I know. But if you can help, please consider it.

Polluter Harmony (with YouTube)

I detest, loathe, hate E-Harmony, its Xian foundation and its sappy TV ads.

Thus it was delightful to discover this, via Far and Wide.

It's a spoof testimonial of the perfect match between an oil executive and a Con politician. Tar-crossed lovers!!! Genuine duplicity!!!

Brilliantly produced by Greenpeace.

Enjoy.

"You're so cute when you're fake." Truly delectable, the actors and the writers must have had a jolly good time creating this inspired lampoon.

The Kents on Recalibration

I don't think that word -- paraphrase -- means what you think it does.

Peter Kent backs down on his whoring remark. (And I mean no disrespect to honest sex-workers.)

In an interview published in Shalom Life, dated Feb. 12, Mr. Kent said: “Prime Minister Harper has made it quite clear for some time now and has regularly stated that an attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada.”

Mr. McIntosh pointed to Mr. Harper’s statements from May, 2008, marking the 60th anniversary of Israel, where the Prime Minister said: “Our government believes that those who threaten Israel also threaten Canada, because, as the last world war showed, hate-fuelled bigotry against some is ultimately a threat to us all, and must be resisted wherever it may lurk.”

“In this ongoing battle, Canada stands side-by-side with the State of Israel, our friend and ally in the democratic family of nations,” Mr. Harper said. “We have stood with Israel even when it has not been popular to do so, and we will continue to stand with Israel, just as I have always said we would.”

Gee, and I thought that fella had some background in the werdz biz.

Meanwhile, the brother who got all the smarts in that family said on Facebook today:

So we're to believe that the C.I.A. has nabbed a top Talib with Pakistani help? Sure, and Wali Karzai's got some land to sell us in Kandahar. With our Afghan mission now teetering between big power treachery and rampant corruption, it's time to recall Parliament, Mr. Harper, and truly recalibrate.

I would have said that Arthur got all the looks too, but that woulda just been mean.

'Shrinking Democratic Space'

This is a hoot.

Peter Kent, a Canadian minister, recently expressed concerns over the supposed “shrinking democratic space” in Venezuela. He was referring to measures against several TV stations. On one of these, Noel Álavarez, president of the bosses’ union FEDECAMARAS, called for another “military solution” to the political situation in Venezuela. How would Kent like it if a Canadian boss suggested Canada’s military intervene to remove his government?

The Venezuelan government recently sanctioned three TV stations including RCTV, the network that played a key role in organizing the coup that briefly overthrew the Venezuelan government in 2002. The three TV stations refused to comply with Venezuela’s broadcasting laws and had their licenses temporarily suspended. The broadcasting laws in Venezuela are similar in scope to CRTC regulations in Canada; they establish standards for child and adult programming, prohibit racist, sexist or inflammatory content and incitement to violence, place limits on commercial advertising, and require stations to broadcast important government announcements. As recently as three weeks ago, RCTV had aired an interview with Noel Álavarez, the president of the bosses’ union FEDECAMARAS where Álvarez had called for another “military solution” to the political situation in Venezuela. Surely, the CRTC would have suspended any TV or radio station that sanctioned a “military solution” to the Stephen Harper government!

While passing through Venezuela Kent said, “Canada is concerned over the Venezuelan government's recent suspension of broadcasting of [three] television stations and the death of two students in protests related to this action. These events are further evidence of a shrinking democratic space in Venezuela.”

Kent’s concerns could be laughable if it were not for the real threat that countries like the US and Canada pose to Venezuela. Many will remember that it was the same Peter Kent that was the most vocal supporter of the military coup d’etat that overthrew democratically-elected Mel Zelaya in Honduras this past June. The dictatorship that was installed in Honduras has killed scores of people. However, the Canadian government did not even cut off military aid to the Honduran dictatorship!

Kent made further accusations, claiming that President Hugo Chávez “has a history of concentrating power in the executive.” Kent’s hypocrisy knows no bounds! At the same time as he made this claim, Kent’s Conservative government has prorogued Parliament for the third time in as many years. Last year, the Conservatives suspended Parliament to prevent a Liberal-NDP coalition from coming to power. This year, the Tory government needed to suspend Parliament to prevent further details from coming out on how the Canadian mission in Afghanistan was responsible in the torture of innocent people there. In the past couple of weeks, tens of thousands of ordinary Canadians have come out to protest the shrinking democratic space in Canada.

Hugo strikes back:

The government of Hugo Chavez has responded to Canadian criticism it is "shrinking democratic space" in Venezuela by saying it will take no lessons from an "ultraright" government that "closed" Parliament to avoid an investigation into the handling of Afghan detainees, statements the Canadian government dismiss as "unacceptable and completely inaccurate."

If we have to listen to Kents, as someone at Facebook said, let it be Arthur.