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posted by CoolHand on Monday August 24 2015, @07:54PM   Printer-friendly
from the smart-canucks dept.

http://m.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/22/social_media_driving_change_in_canada/

As Canadians settle in for the longest general election campaign since 1867, some uncomfortable incidents that had been ignored by commercial media outlets are gaining new exposure... A veritable who's who of Canadian protest and civil liberties groups became active in protesting against the pipelines, both online and off. It dragged on for years, and protests are still ongoing. Information emerged that said one of Canada's spy agencies – Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) – allegedly spied on the protesters and then allegedly illegally shared information about the protesters with the National Energy Board (NEB). NEB is the government entity tasked with overseeing environmentally sensitive projects such as oil pipelines. The NEB succumbed to industry capture years ago and now blatantly operates as nothing more than an extension of the energy companies themselves.

The reason everyone is freaking out about spooks spying on protesters is because bill C-51 – Canada's version of the US Patriot Act or the UK Snooper's Charter – gives the government the right to have protesters declared terrorists. Once declared a terrorist, for all intents and purposes one no longer has rights. [...] The BC pipeline protest events have served for many Canadians as confirmation of our worst fears. The sweeping powers granted in bill C-51 – which include the right to snoop on Canadian citizens electronically – will be abused, and they will be abused in short order.

Public support for bill C-51 has never been great, but these events are keeping the issue front of mind. Public outrage has already cost the Liberal party dearly. Many felt betrayed when Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau pushed his party vote for the bill, and even more so when he attempted to defend his actions after the fact. This, combined with a historic NDP victory at the provincial level in Alberta (which had previously had a 43-year-long Conservative dynasty) has moved the NDP to the top of the federal polls. The NDP have never before formed a federal government in Canada.

With the election taking place in October, this might all have blown over. Both the Conservatives and the Liberals wish the pipeline protests and any mention of bill C-51 would go away. The Duffy trial (alleged senate expenses improprieties and alleged lies by pretty much everyone in the Prime Minister's Office) is scandal enough for this election.

Canada's political dynasties, however, can't seem to get a break. Those nasty protesters and their whole "caring about civil liberties" just won't go away. The new citizenship law (which is as horrible as it sounds) is being challenged on constitutional grounds. Social media is abuzz with people pointing to alleged abuses of power, such as the protest affair, and it didn't take long before the general assumption became that the Conservatives will abuse bill C-24 to discriminate against minorities.

[...] Canadians, however, aren't waiting around for this to happen. Online civil liberties movements Leadnow.ca and Openmedia.ca are seeing membership and engagement treble ahead of the election. Ordinary Canadians are starting to realize that the Canadian Civil Liberties Association exists, and actually does things from time to time. Strategic voting has moved from an esoteric fringe consideration to something discussed in the mainstream media and by many Canadians in their own homes. Even political considerations such as gerrymandering are receiving popular mindshare that a decade ago would have been unthinkable.

The internet has changed Canadian politics. Issues like the alleged wrongdoing regarding the pipeline protests don't simply go away. They are resurrected for impassioned discussion in light of new laws and judicial rulings, and this is happening outside of academia.


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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Gaaark on Monday August 24 2015, @08:34PM

    by Gaaark (41) on Monday August 24 2015, @08:34PM (#227230) Journal

    but yes, i think it's about time to drag him out to the cart.

    Looks like it will be an NDP (very left of center/socialist-ish) government next: my problem is do i vote Green party to give them a boost again this year, or vote NDP to make sure Harper does NOT get in.

    Once Trudeau gets out from under his fathers name and makes a name for himself, he might be worth considering...

    Damn, I was raised Conservative, but have turned my back on them due to the Big Corps getting too damn powerful. Give them hundreds of millions in profit, and all you hear is 'cut hours, work harder' while they give the Execs big bonuses.

    Blah, blah, blah, rant like Rick.

    Just. Don't. Want. Harper. Again.

    !!!!!!

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
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  • (Score: 2) by Snow on Monday August 24 2015, @09:41PM

    by Snow (1601) on Monday August 24 2015, @09:41PM (#227248) Journal

    This elections puts a lot of Canadians in a tough position. I think many of us are sick of the stong-arm tactics of the Harper government. The other options aren't all that great though...

    I'm tired of living under the oppressive Harper Regime, so I'll be strategic voting this election.

    • (Score: 2) by The Archon V2.0 on Monday August 24 2015, @10:59PM

      by The Archon V2.0 (3887) on Monday August 24 2015, @10:59PM (#227273)

      Ditto. I voted NDP here in Alberta - the thing I once swore I'd never do - but only because I desperately wanted the Prentice Conservatives out and the NDP were the only ones who could do it. And Prentice himself proved everything I thought about him when he won his riding and then quit, forcing a costly byelection on the people who had voted him in the night previous!

      Honestly, if I hadn't been so desperate I probably would have researched the Alberta Party a bit more and maybe voted for them. Because I'm right-leaning but the Wildrose are a non-starter with me, not just for some of their policies but that of that fence-jump. (Though to be fair I suppose that got all the traitors out of the party....)

    • (Score: 2) by davester666 on Tuesday August 25 2015, @06:19AM

      by davester666 (155) on Tuesday August 25 2015, @06:19AM (#227424)

      That's the problem.

      The only people running for the job are people I would not want anywhere near it. All of them will say or do anything if they think it will get you to vote for them, in particular, saying one thing in French and another in English.

      All of them will run the country as close to a dictatorship as they can.

  • (Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Monday August 24 2015, @09:42PM

    by Nerdfest (80) on Monday August 24 2015, @09:42PM (#227249)

    That sounds exactly like me. Green for the past couple of elections, but the Conservatives must go. I'm completely amazed that *anybody* would consider voting for the conservatives; they're effectively a fascist organization. I do know a few though, and they seem to be the "safety at any cost crowd" that respond to the fear being spread these days. Sadly the number will go up if we happen to have the bad luck to have any 'incident' occur, although I guess that could count against them as well because of "with all these new powers, why didn't you stop it".

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by hendrikboom on Monday August 24 2015, @09:50PM

    by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Monday August 24 2015, @09:50PM (#227255) Homepage Journal

    The NDP, the Liberals, and the Greens all have one thing in common -- they want to change the voting system. Details differ; the Greens ad NDP want to go to proportional representation (which Fair Vote Canada tells me does not require a constitutional change), and the Liberals want a preferential ballot (which will probably fit into the existing system with less change.

    The Greens are unlikely to get a significant number of seats under the present electoral system, despite having substantial popular vote. I'm in favour of the Greens myself, and I see the best chance they have to get in is for the electoral system to change. Under proportional representation, they will get their fair share of representation; under preferential ballot it will be safe to vote for them as first choice without risking wasting your vote. So I will be voting for NDP or Liberals this election as the best way to get the greens in. Probably the NDP because of the Liberal support for Bill C-51. Convoluted, yes. That's why I want the voting system to change. I hate this kind of convolution.

    If either of those two parties gets in and doesn't try their damndest to change the voting system to something better, that's the last time I vote for them.

    By the way, the Elizabeth May quote I most remember is:

    The Green party is a *conservative* party.

    They'd like the world to stay the way it is now -- livable. But keeping things this way is going to require a lot of change.

    -- hendrik

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Snow on Monday August 24 2015, @10:14PM

      by Snow (1601) on Monday August 24 2015, @10:14PM (#227263) Journal

      I wish that Elizabeth May was the head of one of the other parties (Liberals or NDP). I really like her a lot, but voting for the Green Party right now is a waste (unfortunately). I think that if she was the head of either of those two parties, they would win in a landslide. She is honestly one of the only politicians we have with any integrity at all.

      • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday August 24 2015, @10:49PM

        by Gaaark (41) on Monday August 24 2015, @10:49PM (#227270) Journal

        Sigh, that's the problem: it's like i had a good feeling about Preston Manning, but i think he must have gotten pushed out or something with the Reform/conservative merge or whatever.

        I liked him (just that gut feeling).
        I like Elizabeth May (again, gut). I would vote for her (cause i like seeing the Green numbers go up every election), but this year it will be a 'get rid of Harper at all costs' vote, unfortunately.

        If it looks like the NDP are a shoo-in (shoe-in?)/ a sure thing, i will probably vote Green just to give them what i want them to have... more votes. If not, it will probably be NDP (although i swore i'd never do that after the Ontario NDP fiasco. Hoping some lessons were learned there, lol)

        Yeah, too bad you have to vote for a party you don't really want to vote for just to get rid of a party/leader you detest/protest against with every urination (my pee-cycling has increased!) and bowel movement.

        And nice to see a good Canadian representation here! :)

        Now all we need is the Pirate/Soylent/Rhino party! :)

        --
        --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 24 2015, @11:41PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 24 2015, @11:41PM (#227292)

          Voting for the lesser evil is still voting for evil.

          • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday August 25 2015, @01:51AM

            by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday August 25 2015, @01:51AM (#227342) Homepage Journal

            I'm not voting for a lesser evil; at least, that isn't my purpose. I'm voting NDP for one of its policies, namely, to reform the electoral system so that the Greens and all other small parties have a chance in a later election.

    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by dw861 on Tuesday August 25 2015, @12:53AM

      by dw861 (1561) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday August 25 2015, @12:53AM (#227321) Journal

      The Green party is a *conservative* party.

      True, which means that the Green Party occupies an extremely interesting slice of Canadian political space. The GP wears the socially progressive trappings of some elements of the NDP or the left-most leaning liberals. And the GP supports fiscal conservatism imposed by environmental limits, not borrowing from future generations, sustainability, etc. Now that Harper has alienated former Joe Clark style Progressive Conservative Red Tories, are those former PCs flocking to the Greens?

      On another note, Elizabeth May has a lot to say about strategic voting/vote splitting. Needless to say, she is encouraging voters to not worry about splitting the vote. http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/06/27/May-Green-Party-Does-Not-Split-Vote/ [thetyee.ca]

    • (Score: 2) by gnuman on Tuesday August 25 2015, @01:13AM

      by gnuman (5013) on Tuesday August 25 2015, @01:13AM (#227330)

      The NDP, the Liberals, and the Greens all have one thing in common -- they want to change the voting system.

      If they want to change it more toward proportional representation, or preferential ballot and are serious about it, then they should not split the vote in jurisdictions. Party with highest rating should run in a given constituency and rest of the center and left should not run a candidate there. Then conservatives would be relegated to 3rd party seating, or worse.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by hendrikboom on Tuesday August 25 2015, @01:56AM

        by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday August 25 2015, @01:56AM (#227344) Homepage Journal

        We've had situations in the past where, at least in one riding,when one of the Liberals or NDP (I forget which) bowed out in a riding to help defeat the Conservatives, their loyal supporters became so enraged that they voted Conservative to spite them.

        Not a good situation either.

        It's also difficult to figure which is the party with the highest rating -- polls are becoming increasingly inaccurate for a variety of reasons.

        -- hendrik

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday August 25 2015, @04:07AM

      by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Tuesday August 25 2015, @04:07AM (#227392)

      Here in New Zealand we changed from first past the post to mixed member proportional voting system in 1996 and the politicians of the two main parties have been trying to get us back to FPP ever since.

      I don't remember the details, but we were promised a referendum by the Prime Minister in a weak moment. We wound up with several wealthy political donors spending a lot of their own money trying to convince us that FPP was the best system, but we voted for mixed member anyway.
      I don't think it's a perfect system, but any party that gets 5 % of the national vote gets a seat, or if they win a constituency seat, their national vote share adds up to give them more MP's as well.

      This Parliament we have 8 parties (I think) with MP's. Some of them are single member parties which will die when their party leader dies, and a couple of them are total loonies, but it does mean that Parliament represents New Zealand better than it did before.

      If you can get a change from FPP do anything you can to ram it through. Politicians love FPP though, as they have total control, and two powerful parties can divide the whole country up between them.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 25 2015, @01:32AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 25 2015, @01:32AM (#227333)

    Damn, I was raised Conservative, but have turned my back on them due to the Big Corps getting too damn powerful. Give them hundreds of millions in profit, and all you hear is 'cut hours, work harder' while they give the Execs big bonuses.

    Wow, my thoughts EXACTLY, damn near word for word! Spooky.