April 6 Open Microphone comments |
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| A Speaker at Open Mike |
- Redistribution of seats
- BC,
- Normal procedure to redistribute seats not followed
Speaker # 2
- Bill C 393
- 70 000 citizens urged passage of the bill
- Bill passed 172 to 111 in the House
- Should be providing Canadian drugs for AIDS, Malaria, Polio
- Bill C 393 stalled deliberately in the Senate….this is a perfect example of Harper’s contempt for democracy
Speaker # 3
- Please post Carol Brayman’s opening comments
- Cannot understand the autocratic cancelling of the census….it defies all expert advice
- Disappointed that the current Conservative member of parliament has left this meeting
- (Please note at this time the moderator apologized for not having mentioned that Terence Young had told her before the meeting began that he would have to leave early).
Speaker # 4
- Democracy needs a free media
- Ken Thompson, Ted Rogers, Conrad Black have used their media ownership to control what we think
- Corporate elites should not control information to citizens
- Citizens….the government……. should not permit major media outlets to be controlled by a single shareholder
Speaker # 5
- Stanley Knowles, historic member of CCF and NDP was an independent and respected member of parliament from Winnipeg….his participation was valued by all for his contributions to all major social legislation…..do we have any independent opposition thinkers contributing to Harper’s legislation?
- 1940 Chamberlain quoted Cromwell to English parliament” You have sat in your chairs long enough GO”. Churchill replaced Chamberlain
Speaker # 6
- Yes in other countries, people are prepared to die to secure the right to vote
- We can not say that we have a functioning democracy when 40% plus do not vote
- Proportional representation should be seriously considered
Speaker # 7
- Contempt of parliament
- Omnibus bills should not be tied to a budget…..very dangerous to democracy and leads to undermining of fair society values
Speaker # 8
- Researched constitutional issues at Osgoode hall library
- Contempt of parliament is a slippery slope
- How can the Conservative Party run in an election when the whole party has been called in contempt? Who can answer this question?
Speaker # 9
- Members of parliament must respond to their constituents
- MPs forget their responsibility to constituents once they are elected
- Certain aspects of present democracy have given us MPs dedicated to the end of
Speaker # 10
- CAW member
- Concerned about proportional representation in spite of Eliz. May dilemma
- April 21 All Candidates Debate at CAW Union Hall….everyone is welcome
Speaker # 11
- First: re Eliz. May exclusion from debate- where have all the other leaders been in this decision? Have they really tried to change decisions about her exclusion from the debates?
- Second: where do the Liberals and the Conservatives stand on proportional representation?
- Third : removal of the $2.00 per vote to parties….this is very dangerous…gives
Corporations too much influence
Speaker # 12
- Fair Vote advocates for proportional representation
- Fair Vote advocates for this to ultimately promote/create wider access to social justice
- Conservatives not the only party to exhibit undemocratic actions in the past
Speaker # 13
- Democracy equals the right to vote and right to do what most other citizens do
- To many citizens such as myself have to use food banks
- Canadian politicians need to know what the real needs/real issues are for people who are struggling
Speaker # 14
- Ideology of the Conservatives is scary.
- Harper’s neo liberal views show up in issues such as recent trade agreement negotiations with Europe
Speaker # 15
- “Price of freedom is eternal vigilance”
- If things continue to devolve ( emphasis on devolve), this point in time will be seen as a time when we could have done something ( to preserve democracy?) and did not
- Frog analogy….frogs jump out of hot vs. frogs do not react to slowly rising temperature of water in the same way that we have become somewhat numb to the gradual removal of our democratic rights. This is dangerous
- Read Harperland to understand the importance of citizen action today
- Most important thing to do is to get out and vote
- Note that Harper has sent a chill through his own party members as well as through the civil service etc
Speaker # 16
- Social conservativism guides my principles
- Present voting system does not work….must change it
- Proportional representation not the best answer
- Preferential voting system is better…would have allowed my mother to vote for more than Rob Ford
