Saturday, August 29, 2015

Olivia Chow's Video About Bill C-51

Given yesterday's post on the growing worldwide governmental repression of civil society groups and NGOs, as well as the disturbing information included in my update, a video by Olivia Chow attacking the Liberal position on Bill C-51 seems especially pertinent.
The NDP is launching a national attack on Justin Trudeau’s Liberals over their support for Canada’s controversial anti-terrorism law.

The “T minus 51” blitz — 51 days from Saturday until the Oct. 19 election — will see dozens of NDP candidates in targeted ridings from coast to coast go door-to-door with special brochures attacking the Liberals on Bill C-51.

The weekend blitz will focus on ridings with incumbent Liberals who voted for the Conservatives’ “spy bill,” NDP sources say, including Toronto MPs Adam Vaughan and Chrystia Freeland.

Olivia Chow, the former MP and failed Toronto mayoral candidate, has gone a step further and created an online attack ad accusing Trudeau and Vaughan, her opponent in the new downtown riding of Spadina-Fort York, of “betraying” constituents by voting for a “dangerous and anti-democratic” law.

NDP leaders hope C-51, which they brand a threat to the civil liberties of peaceful protesters, journalists and anyone else who opposes the government, will be the wedge issue that convinces Canadians they are the real alternative to Harper’s Conservatives.

Liberals “said they were going to Ottawa to stand up to Stephen Harper and they didn’t,” an NDP organizer in Ottawa said on background Friday.

11 comments:

  1. Lorne, what Libs did on bill c-51 is problematic. They didn't like it but voted for it anyway. However, Mulcair is a problem for NDP as he is right-wing like Harper. That is going to be a hurdle for NDP. Time will tell how voters respond. I still prefer Libs over NDP. Greens may do better this time. Important objective is to get Harper parting ticket. It is a complicated election given the polls so far.

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    1. This election is shaping up to be a real challenge for voters, LD. The closer Mulcair gets to power, the more like a Conservative he sounds. I live in a newly-created riding, so it is up for grabs. I am watching carefully to see which party is best poised here to beat out the Conservative candidate.

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  2. The Liberals supported C-51 while the NDP is in bed with Netanyahu. Oye vay.

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    1. The murky world of Canadian politics, eh Kirby?

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  3. Thanks, Anon, for a very apropos link.

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  4. This tells me that what we are seeing in the polls about an LPC come back is being seen by the candidates on the ground. It was never clear whether they dropped due to C51 or the slew of negative ads, or both. If this works for the NDP we could have our answer.

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    1. Without doubt, things are volatile in this campaign, Gayle.

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  5. True to course the NDP are expending a huge chunk of their efforts on attacking the Liberals and, now, Elizabeth May. Harper, eh? Not so much. Some things never change. I suppose that makes sense to a party that clings to a social democrat illusion yet is led by an ex-Liberal, Thatcher-adorin', Harper courtin', market fundamentalist neoliberal, Likudnik. There was a time when the NDP would have spewed self-righteous fury for any one of those traits. Now they've got them all bundled up in their very own leader. Wowser!
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    1. The closer to power he gets, the more indistinguishable Mulcair is from the neocon agenda, Mound. What is it about Canadian voters that brings out such traits?

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    2. The liberals supporting bill C-51, was a game changer for a number of people (I don't know the numbers), but that doesn't mean I or others will vote NDP and particularly for Olivia Chow. What else is she planning to run on? She is in my riding and she is seen by many as being an opportunist with a mediocre style at best.

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    3. Yours is a very interesting riding, Pamela. From what I have read, Adam Vaughn has been a hard worker for his constituency, and Olivia Chow, during her time as a city councilor, was, I understand, very accessible and helpful to the people she represented. It will be an interesting contest.

      A small personal story: a few years ago I attended a protest in Toronto and, when it made its way close to city hall, I saw Chow in the crowd with her mother and her bicycle. My thought at the time was how many other politicians would be content to simply stand in the crowd while others had the microphone?

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