Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Protests held against Harper government’s controversial elections bill

TORONTO - Protests are scheduled for cities across Canada today against the Harper government's contentious elections bill.

A few dozen people clutched signs and unrolled a banner during a demonstration in downtown Toronto.

Organizer Anna Goldfinch says that despite the Tories' pledge on Friday to strip the bill of some of its most contentious aspects, such as a residency ID requirement, the proposed legislation still goes too far and should be scrapped outright.

She says an Elections Canada pilot project to encourage turnout on post-secondary campuses will not go ahead if the bill is passed.

Protester Andrew Porter also pointed to the bill imposing restrictions on Elections Canada's outreach work as a continuing cause for concern.

Events were held in a number of communities in Canada including Vancouver where a handful of activists tried to persuade people to sign a petition.

Goldfinch, an executive member with the Canadian Federation of Students's Ontario branch, said that even with the changes the government has agreed to, the bill will still discourage election turnout.

"I still think there's so much in this bill that really does a lot to suppress voting, to not encourage people to get out and vote," she said.

Original Article
Source: nationalnewswatch.com/
Author: CP

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