Lawsuits to settle political battles that should be settled in public opinion, do not only intimidate MPs who are causing a “nuisance” to the government, they also muzzle MPs from speaking on the matter in the House or in committee - which effectively prevents the MP from doing the job they were elected to do.
I usually try to stay away from blogging about “Ottawa issues” as I see a lot of politicians spending an unbalanced amount of time on these scandals instead of tackling the problems that really affect Canadians. But this issue threatens our democracy so much, that if it isn’t solved, it will greatly undermine our democratic institution in Canada and will have a direct effect on all Canadians.
First of all, I’m writing this blog post from Microsoft Word 2007… I just found out I could blog directly from it! Another way Microsoft is slowly taking over my life.
Is anyone else sick of Harper and the Conservatives suing everyone? I’ve been quite busy lately, graduating from college, but it seems every time I turn on the TV I hear about a Conservative suing or giving legal notice over an allegation.
Is anyone else concerned about what this means to our democratic institutions?
Parties should not be using our courts to settle political debates. Not only is it a waste of taxpayers money, but it also allows a party with a lot of money to scare other parties into being silent.
When you enter politics, you should expect your actions to be scrutinized. And you should expect to be accused of many different things, by many different groups. I’m not suggesting that baseless accusations are a good thing, but it’s not out of the norm in politics and you should be ready to defend yourself. Instead of suing, the Conservatives should be defending themselves to the public. Imagine if the Liberals sued the Conservative party over initial allegations of AdScam… we may have never gotten to the bottom of it.
We live in a democracy. Yes, when you make an allegation against somebody else you should have your facts straight. But you shouldn’t have to fear a lawsuit when you question authority.
From one of my insiders:Watch Jack tonight on Lou Dobb’s CNN show tonight at 7:30 pm ET.He’ll be talking to MILLIONS of folks about NAFTA and the widening gap between the rich and the rest of us (or in Dobbs-speak, “the war on the middle-class”)…… UPDATE
First of all, I would like to thank my family, my friends, and my supporters. They have been tremendous throughout this campaign, and I couldn’t have done it without their support.
As many of you probably already know, my campaign was a low budget one. With $0 in the bank, the campaign relied mostly on me knocking on doors and talking to voters. I did increase the vote slightly, and I believe I presented a good choice to the voters I was able to talk to.
In the last week and a half of the campaign, I shifted my focus onto another campaign as an e-day manager. That was the Calgary Fort campaign where the NDP managed to get 14% of the vote. Julie Hrdlicka was an amazing candidate with her passion for social justice. I do hope that she is not discouraged, and that she will run again. The campaign was started with virtually nothing, and achieving 14% was a major feet. If she runs again, I have no doubt that she will be able to win it.
That said, I was quite disappointed in the overall provincial results, and the low voter turn out. The opposition will need to work harder, and speak out louder so that the concerns of ordinary Albertans can be heard.
I am not discouraged, and my name will appear on a ballot in the not so distant future. I will always fight for the ordinary working/middle class person.
“I am hurt, but I am not slain:
I’ll lay me down and bleed a while,
And then I’ll rise and fight again.”
-Sir Andrew Barton
I am honored to receive an endorsement from the Conservation Voters of Alberta. Conservation Voters of Alberta is a non-partisan organization dedicated to raising the profile of environmental issues in Alberta.
I believe that we must move towards a greener future, and that politicians must ensure this. If elected I will work towards a more sustainable Alberta, not only for us but for our children.