Voter Elimination Act
Saskatoon
Sunday,April 13, 2014
by Marjaleena Repo
Saskatoon
Sunday,April 13, 2014
by Marjaleena Repo
.
Dear Friends,
I'm writing to you to let you know what is contained in the misnamed "Fair Elections Act" (Bill C-23), namely the elimination of a large number of voters, through the cancellation of vouching and denying the use of voter information cards as a secondary voter ID.
There are other serious issues in the Act, but nothing compares to the coldblooded plan to permanently disenfranchise hundreds and thousands, perhaps a million, Canadians. As you can see in my documentation, that is not an exaggeration! This is being done with false claims of election fraud by vouching and by the use of the information cards, and also by the brazen claim that Minister Poilievre and colleagues keeps repeating, ad nauseam — and also uncritically repeated in the media — that those who needed vouching and relied on the voter information cards in the last few elections did so because they didn't have ID, something other citizens were smart or practical enough to obtain!
As you can see from the items below, the issue, however, is not the lack of ID, but the lack of a certain kind of ID, namely one with the person's street address. Off the bat, such is not available to anyone in rural Canada who uses a box number, rural route or general delivery address, and therefore their ID is not accepted for voting purposes. In that group are many rural residents and, significantly, by and large most Aboriginal reserve members, none of whom can obtain street address ID as streets don't exist in many parts of the country and seldom on reserves! (Three Aboriginal witnesses illustrated the difficulties Aboriginals have in obtaining the street address document required in the April 3 parliamentary committee session. Conservative members were not happy to receive their information! See the video of testimony at this hearing at http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/in-committee-house-of-commons/episodes/32119551/.)
Please read my article printed in the Toronto Star and watch the short video at the bottom of this page which is a (4 minute) explanation of how the disenfranchisement works. I think you will end up agreeing that the Act should correctly be called, "Voter Elimination Act."
I have written a more detailed brief to the parliamentary committee examining the Act, and this is available, translated into French, to anyone interested just by asking. Also, my earlier articles critical of our post 1997 voting system changes, including the introduction of stringent voter ID requirements in 2008, can be found on davidorchard.com, under my name. You will find that I advocate the return to door-to-door enumeration, which worked well without people having to provide street address ID — voter's lists made that unnecessary.
I am asking all who agree with me that at stake is Canadians' right to vote, to let their opinions be known to our parliamentarians in both Houses. It does not matter who your MP is, do send your protest or criticism letter to him or her, with copies to party leaders Thomas Mulcair, Justin Trudeau and Elizabeth May. You can find all the appropriate names and email addresses of MPs and Senators at: http://www.parl.gc.ca/senatorsmembers.aspx?Language=E Writing to them is easy pie!
Minister Poilievre is rushing the Act through the House and the Senate. We need to do our all to slow the process down and to accomplish what even the Globe and Mail has editorially advocated, namely to "Kill the Bill."
I welcome your comments and questions, and would appreciate hearing from you about any responses you get or ideas you have to expand the fight as quickly as possible. Also, please let me know of any experiences or difficulties you and people you know have had in voting.
.
.
Dear Friends,
I'm writing to you to let you know what is contained in the misnamed "Fair Elections Act" (Bill C-23), namely the elimination of a large number of voters, through the cancellation of vouching and denying the use of voter information cards as a secondary voter ID.
There are other serious issues in the Act, but nothing compares to the coldblooded plan to permanently disenfranchise hundreds and thousands, perhaps a million, Canadians. As you can see in my documentation, that is not an exaggeration! This is being done with false claims of election fraud by vouching and by the use of the information cards, and also by the brazen claim that Minister Poilievre and colleagues keeps repeating, ad nauseam — and also uncritically repeated in the media — that those who needed vouching and relied on the voter information cards in the last few elections did so because they didn't have ID, something other citizens were smart or practical enough to obtain!
As you can see from the items below, the issue, however, is not the lack of ID, but the lack of a certain kind of ID, namely one with the person's street address. Off the bat, such is not available to anyone in rural Canada who uses a box number, rural route or general delivery address, and therefore their ID is not accepted for voting purposes. In that group are many rural residents and, significantly, by and large most Aboriginal reserve members, none of whom can obtain street address ID as streets don't exist in many parts of the country and seldom on reserves! (Three Aboriginal witnesses illustrated the difficulties Aboriginals have in obtaining the street address document required in the April 3 parliamentary committee session. Conservative members were not happy to receive their information! See the video of testimony at this hearing at http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/in-committee-house-of-commons/episodes/32119551/.)
Please read my article printed in the Toronto Star and watch the short video at the bottom of this page which is a (4 minute) explanation of how the disenfranchisement works. I think you will end up agreeing that the Act should correctly be called, "Voter Elimination Act."
I have written a more detailed brief to the parliamentary committee examining the Act, and this is available, translated into French, to anyone interested just by asking. Also, my earlier articles critical of our post 1997 voting system changes, including the introduction of stringent voter ID requirements in 2008, can be found on davidorchard.com, under my name. You will find that I advocate the return to door-to-door enumeration, which worked well without people having to provide street address ID — voter's lists made that unnecessary.
I am asking all who agree with me that at stake is Canadians' right to vote, to let their opinions be known to our parliamentarians in both Houses. It does not matter who your MP is, do send your protest or criticism letter to him or her, with copies to party leaders Thomas Mulcair, Justin Trudeau and Elizabeth May. You can find all the appropriate names and email addresses of MPs and Senators at: http://www.parl.gc.ca/senatorsmembers.aspx?Language=E Writing to them is easy pie!
Minister Poilievre is rushing the Act through the House and the Senate. We need to do our all to slow the process down and to accomplish what even the Globe and Mail has editorially advocated, namely to "Kill the Bill."
I welcome your comments and questions, and would appreciate hearing from you about any responses you get or ideas you have to expand the fight as quickly as possible. Also, please let me know of any experiences or difficulties you and people you know have had in voting.
.
.
/
Marjaleena Repo has been a campaign manager in two federal elections, in Prince Albert in 2000 and Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River in 2008. She managed David Orchard's two leadership campaigns in the Progressive Conservative Party, in 1998 and 2008, and was also the Saskatchewan chair of Stephane Dion's 2006 leadership campaign in the Liberal Party. She was an executive member of the Progressive Conservative Party (before it was taken over by the Canadian Alliance, which she opposed) and has been a riding president as well. Prior to her political party involvement she was the national organizer of Citizens Concerned About Free Trade, a national, non-partisan organisation of which she was a co-founder with David Orchard and others.