The political trends towards gag laws in Canada are getting serious as more jurisdictions are getting into the action.
These are political efforts that are missing the point and trying to make their own “communications” job easier by monopolizing the messaging market. We need good governance and that relies on a diversity of opinions promulgated in a variety of ways to anyone who wants to participate in the deomcratic process.
If these old-school stlye of communications constraints survive and become government policy in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba the Internet will become even more powerful as a source for political and policy information for people. That is not a bad thing. It will show these promoters of political limits on free speech just how wrong they are when the blogosphere and Web 2.0 takes them on and deals with them in the court of public opinion.
The challenge for modern political parties is not to put limits on the free speech of others but to do a better job of communicating their own policies and platforms to citizens in the first place. The opportnities for politicians to connect and communicate with citizens directly has never been easier or cheaper with the ubiquity and accessibility of the Internet.
Get in the new game guys and compete for attention and for credibility of voters in the open market of ideas instead of using your legislative power to rig the rules of the old game in your favour and stifling the free speech of others in the process.
"instead of using your legislative power to rig the rules of the old game in your favour and stifling the free speech of others in the process"
ReplyDeleteThis coming from a supporter of the liberal party which committed the greatest scandal and fraud on the hardworking Canadians in the history of our great nation. Shame.
Hi ken this is not a comment. I was given a call today the federal justice minister is in town and Mike lake is having a meet and greet between 430 and 6pm at summerside community center.
ReplyDeletethough you might have a few questions for him
Martin did everything to limit free speech of the real issues by creating ridicolous attacks ads that worked in one election. If Dion tries the same, he will be soundly defeated in the next election.
ReplyDeleteDion should move to ban polls: http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/428528
ReplyDeleteWith a whopping 10% approval rate, he stands no chance in an election. As such, Harper gets to govern until 2009.
Sit down eric...because this reply will shock you. I agree with you 100%. Dion has no chance in an election based on that poll and I have been saying for 6 months or more that there will be no election until the legislated date of Nov 2009.
ReplyDeleteThat is an eternity in politics and Harper is not resonating either. Canadians are looking for something to believe in but Harper and Dion are not it...not now at least.
Both of them are on their way down. Dion first and Harper will follow and None of the Above or Don't Know will be the poll winner until we actually have an election.
Campaigns matter but it will not happen for another year and a half. Lots can change in the meantime.