On August 11th we published the first part of this article from the Tyee.
Tyee staff and contributors have compiled a list of 70 government assaults on democracy and the law. As a list of 70 is pretty difficult for anyone to verify all at once we have been posting a few at a time. To read the entire list at once go to this link.
Like Never Before, Limits Placed on Media Access
Tyee staff and contributors have compiled a list of 70 government assaults on democracy and the law. As a list of 70 is pretty difficult for anyone to verify all at once we have been posting a few at a time. To read the entire list at once go to this link.
Like Never Before, Limits Placed on Media Access
Journalists
have been hard-pressed to recall another time when controls
put on them were so
tight. At the
Conservatives' 2013 Calgary convention, reporters wrote of being harassed and penned in at
every turn by the PMO's command and control system. In his book Killing The
Messenger, journalist Mark Bourrie charts the many examples of new limits on
freedom of speech introduced in the Harper era.
Harper's Team
Tries to Ban Journalist for Asking Question
Veteran TV
cameraman Dave Ellis covered a Harper speech about oil to a business audience.
Though media had been instructed no questions allowed, Ellis posed one about
charges laid against a Conservative MP. The PMO tried to punish Ellis and his network by kicking him
off covering Harper's trip to Malaysia. After media hue and cry, Harper backed
down and Ellis went.
Harper Minister
Sucker Punches CBC Budget
After the 2011
federal election Heritage Minister James Moore assured Conservatives would
"maintain or increase support for the CBC. That is our platform and we
have said that before and we will commit to that." The next year, Harper's
Cons delivered the biggest government cut to CBC
since the mid-1990s, much deeper in proportion than overall trims to federal
programs, defying public sentiment.
Suppression of
Research
In the gun
registration debate, incriminating research and documents such as a Firearms
Report were deliberately withheld from the public. While ramping up
their prison building, Conservatives suppressed related research and studies
contradicting their political priorities.
The Vic Toews
Porno Smear
In a vivid
example of the browbeating of opponents, the minister of public safety said anyone who opposed federal plans to
make electronic surveillance of Canadians easier for authorities was siding
with child pornographers.
Harper's Fallen
Soldiers Blackout
Emulating
George W. Bush's optics tactics, Stephen Harper banned media coverage of fallen soldiers'
caskets returning from Afghanistan. He also refused to lower the flag
half-mast. Soldiers' family members expressed confusion and anger at the
perceived show of disrespect.
Protesters Put
under Blanket Surveillance
According to a
leaked memo, as part of its command and control
approach, the Conservatives have approved a system wherein all advocates, protesters and demonstrations can be monitored by authorities. The Government
Operations Centre has requested federal departments to assist it in compiling a
comprehensive inventory of protesters. Security specialists have called it a breach of Canadians' Charter of Rights.
Conservatives have moved to give CSIS even more powers than the
spy agency wants.
Rights and
Democracy, Other Groups, Dismantled
In a show of brute
force, the
Montreal-based group Rights and Democracy was pole-axed for its alleged political leanings and
eventually disbanded. Organizations like the church group Kairos were de-budgeted or dismantled for
political leanings. Nuclear Safety Commission head Linda Keen was dumped. Among the complaints cited by the PM was that in her distant
past, she had some Liberal ties.
Harper
Government Spied on Aboriginal Critic, 'Retaliated'
Aboriginal
child welfare advocate Cindy Blackstock was spied on by the Harper government, and when she
arrived for a meeting with other First Nations leaders at the Ministry of Aboriginal
Affairs only she was barred entry. Finding Blackstock had been
"retaliated" against by a ministry official, the Canadian Human Rights
Tribunal awarded her $20,000 for pain and suffering.
Revenue Canada
Loosed to Attack Charities
Not all
charities, just the ones that don't seem adequately aligned with the Harper brand. Enough to
include many environmental, aid, human rights and free speech charities that banded
together to push back
against what looks like a politically motivated witch hunt.
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