ONTARIO: 'Democracy' Turns to Rubber
Graeme Bacque (gbacque@idirect.com)
Tue, 20 Oct 1998 23:45:26 -0700
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> Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 23:34:19 -0400
> From: Gary Morton <command@interlog.com>
> Organization: Citizens on the Web - News
>
> How 500 Rich People Can Buy an Ontario Election
>
> C4LD press conference on the Harris Election Bill
>
> Related info
> Tories Create an Unfair Election & Harris buy-the-election bill at
> http://www.interlog.com/~cjazz/rids.htm
>
> I talked to Gord Garland outside the meeting. He told me that the
> Harris election Bill 36 is so loose in its liberalization of funding
> that 500 wealthy people, manipulating the rules, could supply the Harris
> Reformatories with the nine million in election funds allowed and most
> of the other new travel and polling expenses allowed.
>
> C4LD in concert with Metro Network for Social Justice, Interfaith
> Social Action Reform Coalition and the Confederation of Resident and
> Ratepayers Associations held a press conference on Bill 36 - The
> Election Changes Bill - today.
> The negative effects are listed as threefold
> 1. It stacks the deck in favour of the governing party.
> 2. It favours the party with the most money and richest supporters.
> 3. It guarantees inaccurate and incomplete voters' lists.
> No public hearings or opposition amendments were allowed to Bill 36.
>
> Bigger Ridings plus Shorter Campaigns equals LESS Democracy. A 26%
> increase in the size of ridings combined with a 24% decrease in the
> length of the campaign means a 50% reduction in candidates'
> opportunities to reach the voters. This means less personal contact
> between candidates and voters, creating a huge advantage for incumbents.
> Campaigning will be through TV, Papers, Radio but not voter contact, and
> those with the most money will benefit.
> C4LD believes this action is deliberately designed to destroy
> grass-roots democratic election campaigns and to replace them with
> expensive, top-down, one-way media campaigns orchestrated at the head
> office.
> It creates a dramatic increase the number of citizens represented by
> one MPP. One Ontario MPP represents 97,912 people. 40,000 more than in
> Quebec. 67,000 more than in Alberta. 80,000 more than in Nova Scotia.
>
> Toronto held a megacity election with lists so outdated the election
> would have been ruled invalid if international scrutiny had been
> involved. Bill 36 is more of the same -- now a provincial election with
> improper voters' lists.
>
> Citizens for Local Democracy asks that the government withdraw the bill
>
> As I finish this article it now occurs to me that if 500 wealthy
> people could buy Ontario, then they probably already have done so.
> Perhaps we'll learn of their agenda after Harris buys his way back into
> office.
>
> From: Gary Morton <command@interlog.com>
> ------------------------------
>
> Bob Olsen Toronto bobolsen@aracnet.net (:-)
--
----------------------------------------------------------------
Graeme Bacque <gbacque@idirect.com>
<http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Congress/1962>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Sanitarium, leave me be,
Sanitarium, just leave me alone'
--Metallica, from their album Master of Puppets
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Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 19:24:13 -0400
To: act-cuts-ont-l@netserver.web.net
From: Bob Olsen <bobolsen@aracnet.net>
Subject: ACT-CUTS-ONT-L: How 500 Rich People Can Buy an Ontario Election
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Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 23:34:19 -0400
From: Gary Morton <command@interlog.com>
Organization: Citizens on the Web - News
How 500 Rich People Can Buy an Ontario Election
C4LD press conference on the Harris Election Bill
Related info
Tories Create an Unfair Election & Harris buy-the-election bill at
http://www.interlog.com/~cjazz/rids.htm
I talked to Gord Garland outside the meeting. He told me that the
Harris election Bill 36 is so loose in its liberalization of funding
that 500 wealthy people, manipulating the rules, could supply the Harris
Reformatories with the nine million in election funds allowed and most
of the other new travel and polling expenses allowed.
C4LD in concert with Metro Network for Social Justice, Interfaith
Social Action Reform Coalition and the Confederation of Resident and
Ratepayers Associations held a press conference on Bill 36 - The
Election Changes Bill - today.
The negative effects are listed as threefold
1. It stacks the deck in favour of the governing party.
2. It favours the party with the most money and richest supporters.
3. It guarantees inaccurate and incomplete voters' lists.
No public hearings or opposition amendments were allowed to Bill 36.
Bigger Ridings plus Shorter Campaigns equals LESS Democracy. A 26%
increase in the size of ridings combined with a 24% decrease in the
length of the campaign means a 50% reduction in candidates'
opportunities to reach the voters. This means less personal contact
between candidates and voters, creating a huge advantage for incumbents.
Campaigning will be through TV, Papers, Radio but not voter contact, and
those with the most money will benefit.
C4LD believes this action is deliberately designed to destroy
grass-roots democratic election campaigns and to replace them with
expensive, top-down, one-way media campaigns orchestrated at the head
office.
It creates a dramatic increase the number of citizens represented by
one MPP. One Ontario MPP represents 97,912 people. 40,000 more than in
Quebec. 67,000 more than in Alberta. 80,000 more than in Nova Scotia.
Toronto held a megacity election with lists so outdated the election
would have been ruled invalid if international scrutiny had been
involved. Bill 36 is more of the same -- now a provincial election with
improper voters' lists.
Citizens for Local Democracy asks that the government withdraw the bill
As I finish this article it now occurs to me that if 500 wealthy
people could buy Ontario, then they probably already have done so.
Perhaps we'll learn of their agenda after Harris buys his way back into
office.
From: Gary Morton <command@interlog.com>
------------------------------
Bob Olsen Toronto bobolsen@aracnet.net (:-)
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