Links to all the election resources you need have been compiled at the bottom of this post. Please let us know if we’ve overlooked anything important that you feel should be added.
Canadian Election 2011: Crimes. Contempt. Crisis.
The Harper-led Conservative Government has been found in contempt of Parliament. This has never happened in Canadian history. No government in the 54 member nations of British Commonwealth has fallen on a Contempt of Parliament conviction and it is without precedent in countries governed by a Westminster-styled parliament (Source: Wikipedia).
Soon after, an opposition parties vote of non-confidence set in motion our 5th federal election campaign in 10 years, 4th in 7, 3rd in 5. And the news media rejoiced!
#1 PRIORITY: MAKE SURE STEPHEN HARPER DOES NOT GET A MAJORITY.
But is a different leader and party enough to change what must be changed?
Our political system is neither fair, proportionally representative, functional or effective and our consumption-based economics are rapacious, oppressive, destructive and suicidal.
Many feel a non-vote is a valid and important statement of disillusionment, disenfranchisement, resistance or refusal to participate in, perpetuate, lend legitimacy to or tolerate the predominance of our growth and profit-obsessed, ‘business as usual’ status quo.
And no Canadian political party’s platform proposes anything close to the emergency action at emergency speed required to attempt to preserve a livable future for our kids because actual science-based responses to the climate crisis cannot be achieved without a radical transformation away from inequitable, unsustainable growth.
However, some politicians are light years ahead of others. And this time around…
A NON-VOTE WILL HAVE THE HORRIFIC IMPACT OF A VOTE FOR STEPHEN HARPER.
As we detailed in our post about the undemocratic leaders’ debates (abbreviated below), despite the nonsense of the process, the campaign ‘promises’, photo ops, attack ads and insults, we never-the-less encourage you to engage, take a position and vote, because *more* very bad things could happen if we don’t.
3 Key Considerations
1. Did we mention that Stephen Harper must not be allowed to win a majority government?
Canada’s already compromised illusion of ‘democracy’ would become unrecognizable and the balances of opposition would be crushed. The more of us who vote, especially age 18-24, who tend to be ABC (anything but Conservative), the less likely a Conservative majority will be. (See our compilation:7 charges against the Stephen Harper-led Conservative regime.)
2. Many entities/interests benefit or suffer based on which party is in power
Do you know a group or essential social service whose funds have been cut? There ARE differences between parties that DO have direct impacts on people’s daily lives in a multitude of ways.
3. Potential game changer: Green Party Leader, Elizabeth May, as a Member of Parliament
Elizabeth May is a formidable voice for truth in opposition to corrupted, undemocratic politics/media and climate crisis denial. Watch the great speech she gave at the Rally for Democracy Toronto and you’ll see why the broadcast consortium and the other parties and ‘leaders’ conspired to ensure her exclusion from the televised debates: She is a powerful threat.
Call to Action
Our shared atmosphere is on an accelerating course to reach a state of potentially unsurvivable, runaway climate extremes during the lives of today’s children.
Only emergency international action at emergency speed *may be* proportional enough to confront the scale, scope and urgency of what is already the greatest crime against humanity, most life and most future life ever (Climate Change Human Impact Report).
If you value Canada’s once progressive reputation on the world stage; if you desire honesty, openness, cooperation and accountability; a fairer, more just and closer to democratic society…
If you care about the environment, all the wondrous, diverse, interconnected species on our planet and the people of the most impoverished nations who suffer and die every day from the devastation and social injustices posed by human-enhanced climate extremes…
And if you worry about your own health, the well-being of your family and the livability of our world for all lives of all species…
On May 2nd, 2011
VOTE to prevent the further ravages of injustice that would result from a Stephen Harper-led Conservative majority government. (See resources below for more election info and strategies.)
Thank you! Glenn MacIntosh, Founder: ecoSanity.org.
Collected Resources
ecoSanity.org’s Canadian Election 2011 Posts
- Cdn Election 2011: Post-Mortem
- Cdn Election 2011: Overview & Collected Links/Resources
- Cdn Election 2011: 7 Charges Against the Harper-led Conservative Regime
- Cdn Election 2011: ShitHarperDid.com Videos
- Cdn Election 2011: Essential Election-Related Videos
Election-Focused Websites, Groups, Strategic Voting
- Elections Canada
- ProjectDemocracy.ca
- Article – ProjectDemocracy.ca: Strategic voting, Brett Popplewell, Toronto Star
- Swing33.ca
- Article – Swing33.ca: Pay to stop Harper, Mitchell Anderson, The Tyee
- Catch 22 Campaign
- Fair Vote Canada
- Council of Canadians
- ShitHarperDid.com
- ApathyisBoring.com
- Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
- ecoSanity Original Resources
- ecoSanity – Category: G8/G20 Toronto
- ecoSanity – Petro state Canada’s international obstruction, George Monbiot
News Sources
- Rabble.ca: News for the rest of us – Federal Election
- CBC – Canada Votes 2011
- CBC – At Issue Panel
- CTV – Election 2011
- CTV – Question Period
- Global – Decision Canada
- TVA – Federales 2011
- Toronto Star – Politics/Canada
- Globe and Mail – Politics/Canada, Election 2011
- Ottawa Citizen – Election Canada
- Quebec Le Soleil – Elections Federales
- Montreal La Presse (Cyberpresse) – Elections Federales
- Montreal Le Devoir – Politics/Canada
- Halifax The Chronicle Herald – Canada
- Calgary Herald – Decision Canada
- Edmonton Journal – Decision Canada
- Vancouver Sun – Decision Canada
Laundry Lists
- 7 charges against the Stephen Harper-led Conservative regime, ecoSanity
- Council of Canadians – Stephen Harper’s assault on democracy
- Climate Action Network – Gov’t of Canada’s climate change record (2006 – 2011)
- Catch 22 Campaign – 12 reasons to defeat Harper – 10 reasons (Rabble.ca)
- Liberals – 10 Harper regime abuses of power in 10 days
- Bloc – Denounces laundry list of Tory ‘disregard for democracy’, Globe and Mail
- Report – The Harper Record, Cdn Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
- Article/list – Descent of democracy under Harper’s thumb, iPolitics.ca (Scroll for list)
- List – Stephen Harper’s firing range: 87 organizations and people attacked in last 5 years, Dennis Gruending, Rabble.ca
Essential Articles & Blogs
- Week 4
- More voices you won’t hear in the election campaign, Gerald Caplan, Globe and Mail
- Article – Biggest silent election issue: Oil’s erosion of Canada, Andrew Nikiforuk, The Tyee
- Opinion – May should have been heard, Reginald Stackhouse, Globe and Mail
- Week 3 (Leaders’ debates)
- Opinion – “I believe the cosortium of broadcasters screwed Elizabeth May out of her rightful seat at the debate table.”, Michael Taube, Ottawa Citizen
- Article – The debate’s over: System has to change, M. Rogers, T. Axworthy, TStar
- Article – Editorial: The old white guys’ club, Times Colonist
- Article – May: ‘Outrageous’ that election debate was quickly rescheduled around hockey, but couldn’t include her, Cindy E. Harnett, Times Colonist
- Week 2
- Article – Harper slammed for climate change inaction, M. Munro, Vancouver Sun
- Article – Reward contempt of Parliament? Dan Gardner, Ottawa Citizen
- Article/video/infographic – Tories refuse election campaign carbon offsets, CBC
- Editorial – Harper’s 5 question policy a disservice to public, Toronto Star (Be sure to read the terrific final paragraph! What if NO questions were asked?)
- Article – How parliament would look if only youth voted, E. Grenier, Globe and Mail
- Week 1
- Article – Harper can’t take credit for recovery, David Olive, Toronto Star
- Blog – Contemplating the unthinkable Harper majority, MurrayDobbin.ca
- Blog – Stephen Harper’s lessons in strategery, Scott Feschuk, McLean’s
- Blog – Harper’s shaky start and ethics, Murray Dobbin, MurrayDobbin.ca
- Article – Canada watches its democracy erode, Ramesh Thakur, The Australian
- Article – Canadian Election 2011: Apathy, big lies, contempt and electoral disfunction, Joyce Green, Mike Burton, Rabble.ca
- Article – Harper’s coalition assertion untrue, Keith Boag, CBC — Video
- Article – What if a Harper majority comes true? Heather Mallick, Toronto Star
- Article/Infographic – 50 ridings to watch, Globe and Mail
- Article – 7 key ridings in Greater Toronto Area, Brett Popplewell, Toronto Star
- Federal budget
- Article – A budget worth defeating, David Olive, Toronto Star
- Blog – Major cuts to pollution control spending on horizon, Brendan DeMelle, DeSmog Blog
Videos
- ecoSanity – Collected best election videos
- YouTube – Rick Mercer, Mercer Report
- YouTube – ShitHarperDid.com
- YouTube – EnoughHarper
- Videos – LeadNow.ca, Vote Mobs
- Video – Chaos in Chaoanada, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report
- ecoSanity – Elizabeth May speech at Rally for Democracy Toronto
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