Democracy News

The administration of justice in B.C. has been shaken to its roots in a BC Rail Scandal pre-trial process marked by delay, apparent obstruction, erasure of disclosure materials by government, the de facto refusal to release search warrants, juggling of judges ... and more.  May 3 is the day the trial will begin.

 At the end of the more than two-and-one-half-hour session, the group decided it would continue meeting as a kind of “citizens’ assembly,” possibly every two weeks until the next election at least.

Almost 100 people gathered inside a Wolfville hall January 23 to express their concerns about the Harper government’s prorogation of Parliament. Billed as a public discussion and “speak out for democracy,” the session was designed to allow all citizens, sitting in a circle, to share their concerns and offer suggestions for change.

 Co-organizer Janet Eaton said the protest wasn’t just about proroguation, but to set in context “what’s been happening for the last four years.”

In the 60s we were a few short steps away from the dream of democratic peace and prosperity our ancestors had fought for for centuries - and here we are as the first decade of the 21st century stumbles to an end on the edge of the abyss with nothing but grim in sight as chaos and turmoil threaten from all sides -

Failing democracy, globally, (and in Canada) parallels and connects with the potential environmental collapse of the planet.

Honduras recently began a move towards a real and effective democracy.  The military – trained and equipped by the U.S.A. – stopped it…in order to protect the rapacious, oppressive, so-called “democracy” in place.

The U.S. president has muttered…things…and the coup regime remains because U.S. power in the world cannot have “Bolivarian (peaceful) revolutions” in Latin America delivering real democracy and a just redistribution of wealth, taking away the right to destroy people by Capitalist corporations.

 The prospect of an ever-declining voter turnout is scaring the shit out of most of the elites that have managed to make a damn good living by becoming "career politicians".

Game theory suggests ample rewards for those that cooperate over those that compete. Lets play "just suppose" - suppose, earlier on, the BC Greens and the BC NDP had decide to cooperate and play this election like "onside" teamplayers on the same side of the "game" so as to maximize optimal results for both the economy and the environment

In response to Susan Thompson’s question “But it's time to brainstorm about what else we can do” please consider this…..

It seems to me that much of the recent “crisis” was brought on by the lack of clear parliamentary rules and the lack of any consequences for ignoring those that are in place.

One suggestion made said this :- Mendes says Parliament should pass legislation to prevent abuse of the prorogation in the future. "I think that this is a very dangerous precedent, It's one, however, that could be curtailed by Parliament itself, passing legislation to prevent future prime ministers from seeking prorogation … [to limit] what a future prime minister can do."

"Why does this remind me of signing statements and Congress having to think about enacting laws to prevent similar abuses that Bush used to subvert democracy?

“We will protect the Internet’s traditional openness to innovation and creativity and ensure that it remains a dynamic platform for free speech, innovation, and creativity.”

“We will create a new “open-source” government, using technology to make government more transparent, accountable and inclusive. Rather than obstruct people’s use of the Freedom of Information Act, we will require that agencies conduct significant business in public and release all relevant information ……”

“We are committed to a participatory government. We will use the most current technology available to improve the quality of government decision-making and make government less beholden to special interest groups and lobbyists.”

(I wonder if Harper has read this, using the internet to publish information not BS, how quaint?  Rural)

 In the seven years since Fair Vote Canada was launched, we have never experienced the level of media and public interest in voting reform that we are seeing right now. Yesterday, four FVC spokespeople were kept busy just handling media interviews. New memberships are pouring in, along with people wanting to volunteer.

Momentum for electoral reform is growing. 

The Globe calls out Mr. Harper's anti-democratic abuse of the confidence vote

For the second time in two days, Mr. Harper announced yesterday that his party would reintroduce anti-crime legislation that the previous Parliament did not pass – and that, if the opposition stood in the way, he would be ready to force another election over it. His aides indicated that the bills would be put to the opposition as take-it-or-leave-it propositions.

The Globe and "Impolitical" say it all there is not much I can add except to say beware the Harper dictatorship.

The Consortium approached the parties to explore the possibility of
including the Green Party in all or part of the Leaders' Debates. However,
three parties opposed its inclusion and it became clear that if the Green
Party were included, there would be no Leaders' Debates. In the interest of
Canadians, the Consortium has determined that it is better to broadcast the
debates with the four major party leaders, rather than not at all.

If you are not outraged by this you do not support democracy, it seems neither do at least 3 of the partys within parliment do not! I expected this of the Harper ologarcy, but the others?

Soaring oil prices will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year's end, according to an American oversight agency. But Iraq has spent only a minute fraction of that on reconstruction costs, which are now largely borne by the United States.

The unspent windfall, which covers surpluses from oil sales since 2005, appears likely to reinforce growing debate about the approximately $48 billion in American taxpayer money devoted to rebuilding Iraq since the American-led invasion.

OTTAWA, May 20: Stephen Harper's office leads the list of nominees for this year's Code of Silence Award, to be handed out by the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) later this month........
 

According to a CAJ news release. The government "has stalled and denied freedom of information requests and, most recently, the PMO suspended a key access to information database."

"Killing the registry was the last straw for many reporters," said CAJ President Mary Agnes Welch. "There's a broad and deliberate attempt on the part of Harper and his staff to limit Canadians' right to know.........