Second NDP candidate takes vacation from campaign trail

If the NDP can't field candidates who are serious about running for Parliament, how can voters place their trust in them to take a major role in the Commons as either the Official Opposition or, if Jack Layton is lucky, and the country is not, Prime Minister?

Second NDP candidate takes vacation from campaign trail

Kevin Libin: U.S. group crosses boundaries in urging Tory defeat | Full Comment | National Post

by Kevin Libin - from the National Post

This election may go down as the one where the Internet broke Elections Canada’s control over our electoral process. It’s already fairly certain that social media users will make hash of s. 329 of the Canada Elections Act: defiant Facebookers and Twitterers are promising to flout the ban on reporting eastern poll results early, despite the risk of fines.

But a U.S.-based Internet activist group is also shaking up traditional boundaries on the influence that foreign groups can bring to bear on Canadians’ voting intentions.

The Avaaz Foundation, a left-wing non-profit organization registered in New York and Delaware, isn’t hiding the fact that it’s crusading to defeat the Conservatives, buying ads urging Canadians to “vote strategically” in their riding to ensure “all the opposition parties together … win a huge majority of Parliament.”

And on Tuesday, the group announced it was bankrolling a lawsuit demanding the release of the Auditor General’s report into G8 spending, that might show the previous government “illegally handed 50 million taxpayer dollars to a Conservative riding and covered it up.” It’s even using Canada’s Charter of Rights to back its argument, claiming access to certain government documents are guaranteed.

Avaaz has turned up before in the midst of an election to campaign against Stephen Harper’s Conservatives. But its reappearance highlights how our elections laws seem increasingly ill-fitted to the digital era. In 2008, Avaaz registered as a third-party with Elections Canada, subletting space in Ottawa, only to decamp back to New York after the vote. It ran ads in ridings across Canada encouraging readers to vote strategically for whichever candidate stood the best chance of beating the Tory incumbent.

One target, former environment minister John Baird, called the group a “shadowy foreign organization” and complained to Elections Canada that Avaaz was demonstrating “possible” violations of restrictions on ad spending and foreign interference. Avaaz’s third-party returns did reveal some curious items: what the Tories alleged were breaches of spending limits by riding; ads bought in Halifax newspapers seemingly allocated to allowances for B.C. ridings; and while its American tax return reported US$137,724 of “political expenditures” in Canada in 2008, an Elections Canada third-party filing listed just $57,733.83. Nothing came of the complaint. Read more...

Kevin Libin: U.S. group crosses boundaries in urging Tory defeat | Full Comment | National Post

Sand in the Shorts: Elections - Such a Hardship

This column appeared in the April 2nd, 2011 Intelligencer


So another election is upon us. While I know some are bothered by that, and much is made by the media of the idea that that this is some sort of massive imposition on Canadians, I enjoy them. As a longtime policy wonk and political junky, this is my idea of March Madness.

And is it really such an imposition after all. How will it impact you?

• Candidates and party leaders will come to town and give speeches, shake hands, and generally work to convince you they are just like you, care about you, and will share your views when you elect them to parliament.
  • Impact on you: Only if they come to where you work, or you choose to go and see them. As these are usually publicised in advance, it is really quite easy to avoid such an event unless it is in your workplace. If it’s in your workplace, and you don’t like the visitor’s party, why not try to make rabbit ears behind them while they pretend they actually enjoy being there for the cameras. Could be funny. Could get you fired - as it should if you do it to my candidate.
• When you turn on the news, you will see (or hear, on the radio) stories about people trying to bribe you with your own money, in touching and heartfelt ways. Stories about Libya and Japan will be pushed back (and CFTO News won’t be able to devote half of a one hour newscast to a transformer fire!). If you ignore the possibility of national bankruptcy as a result of an NDP-Liberal-Bloc coalition, that means the first 5 minutes of your news will be much less depressing.
  • Impact on you: If you want to get right to Libya and Japan, I’d like to introduce you to CNN and the Beeb (that’s the BBC - not Justin Bieber, in case there was some confusion - Bieber would be ‘the Bieb’, after all). And don’t forget the entertainment possibilities, such as “take a drink every time you see Jack Layton’s moustache”, pools on the colour of Steven Harper’s sweater in his next ad, or a race to be the first to document Michael Ignatieff’s flip-flop of the day (full documentation of the original statement required, with bonus points if you can find more than one about face in the same speech)
• You will be exposed to political advertising (see above about being bribed with your own money).
  • Impact on you: This will end as soon as you:
    • Mute the TV
    • turn down the radio
    • turn the page of the newspaper
• You will have to read smart-assed columns by writers who are of the opinion they are the ones who truly get it.
  • Impact on you: None, as soon as you turn the page. Which of course won’t be necessary in the case of this column.
• You really should vote. You don’t have to, but you should. Don’t use the ‘I don’t like any of them’ excuse. That’s irrelevant - choose the one you least dislike. Don’t say it doesn’t matter. Your vote could put a candidate over the top. And if you want to make a statement about your disgust, move your lazy carcass to the polling station and spoil your ballot properly.

And if you can’t be bothered to go to your polling place to make your mark on a ballot, don’t irritate those of us who cared enough about our great country to do so by sharing your clearly under-educated and irrelevant opinion. IF YOU DON’T VOTE, I DON’T CARE! (about your opinions)

So, if you will excuse me, there’s an election going on.