Monday, November 28, 2005

Once Election Starts, Gag Law Does Too

Well today’s the day the Opposition pulls the plug on the federal government.

That means starting tomorrow the country will be in election-mode and voters will be exposed to differing ideas, conflicting visions and alternative points of view.

Nah, I’m just kidding.

In reality, the only views Canadians will get exposed to are those put forward by the politicians.

That’s because the election gag law makes it a crime for non-politicians to effectively and freely express ideas through election advertising.

The National Citizens Coalition will be forced to essentially remain quiet for the next month or so.

It’s frustrating.

Imagine what a hockey player would feel like if he was told he could play in the regular season, but would have to sit out the Stanley Cup playoffs. That’s what we feel like.

Elections are the most crucial time in any democracy, and here we are forced to sit on the sidelines and watch.

The real losers, however, are the voters. They are losing their right to free speech, because free speech means having the right to listen as well as to speak.

Instead of hearing a wide assortment of ideas from a wide assortment of citizens and groups, voters will only hear the political propaganda of the political parties.

That’s not democracy.

OK end of my rant – for now.

1 comment:

Monkey Loves to Fight said...

I think the current gag law is overly restrictive, but I at the same time don't want to see the third party advertising we currently see in the United States. I think third parties should be allowed to advertise on issues as long as they make no reference to any particular party. I am okay with spending restrictions on advertising directly supporting a candidate or party although I question how effective it really is. Here in BC, the BCTF spent $5 million to defeat the BC Liberals in the last provincial election, yet failed to do so.