It was interesting in my journey to discover how a party grounded in bigotry was now running our country, to learn that the concept for this Reform-Conservative party was actually created in 1967; the brainchild of wealthy Canadian business interests, the Mannings Social Credit Party and the National Citizens Coalition.
Their goal was to create an American style Conservative party, mimicking the current Republican Party, who could keep citizens whipped into a frenzy over 'faith, family and freedom'. (Fundamentalist Christian, nuclear families only; an end to abortion and homosexual rights and of course the big 'f' 'freedom' - war!!!).
Scenes like the one above are becoming more commonplace, and will continue to be if we don't wake up and get these guys out. They just need a majority, and while Harper still polls rarely above a third of Canadian voters, they have crafted a way to gain more seats without gaining more votes. Gilles Duceppe will not vote for this and hopefully the Liberals and NDP won't either.
Steven Fletcher, the head of 'Democratic Reform', has been working like hell to remove any notion of democracy from a country I used to be so damned proud of. They are not just looking for a majority, they are looking for a social conservative (with all of it's ugliness) dynasty.
New federal ridings may be coming to the suburbs
September 25 2009
CTV.ca News Staff
The federal government is reportedly working on legislation to create as many as 32 new electoral ridings across suburban areas of B.C., Alberta and Ontario.
Democratic Reform Minister Steven Fletcher is spearheading legislation on the proposed changes, according to The Globe and Mail. They could be presented to Parliament as early as this fall or early 2010, and would increase the number of MPs in the House of Commons to 340 from 308.
The rumoured changes are seen partly as a response to the Canada's changing demographic landscape. The country's population has been growing mostly due to immigration, and particularly near the larger cities in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario.
At the same time, Parliament has passed measures to protect smaller provinces and rural ridings from losing their voice on Parliament Hill. That's skewed the country's federal electoral map away from the more populous areas.
As a result, Alberta, B.C. and Ontario would be expected to share the additional ridings.
"What you've got here is the notion of democracy versus the notion of history and how this country started," Tom Clark, host of Power Play, told CTV News Channel on Friday. "It is why Prince Edward Island still has as many seats as it does. Even at four, it is grossly overrepresented in the modern world."
"At the same time, if you went strictly by representation by population, you would be denying the geographical reality of the country. So it's a very tough mix and a tough balance to strike."
The new ridings would in all probability go to suburban areas around the major cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto, communities typically with younger and more ethnically diverse residents. If the electoral reforms are eventually passed, they would hand more power to that traditionally underrepresented segment of Canadian society.
Changing the electoral map in such a way may also play in the Conservatives' favour. That's because the party stands a good chance of picking up additional seats in suburban Alberta and B.C., and potentially Ontario as well.
"Some are saying this is the route not only to getting rid of minority governments, but it could be a route to a Tory majority," Clark said. "This might create a new dynasty."
Stephen Harper's Conservative minority government proposed to redistribute the federal elections ridings last year as well. But the bill was never passed into law, partly due to complaints from Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. He felt the province wouldn't receive enough additional parliamentary seats under the proposed changes.
The Bloc Quebecois is expected to oppose redrawing the electoral map. The Bloc has come to hold about two-thirds of Quebec's 75 ridings in recent elections. Since Quebec's population is not growing, however, adding seats elsewhere would erode the Bloc's political clout.
If passed, any reforms could take several more years to come into effect.
If it takes several more years we need to make sure those years do not include these Rerform Conservatives. The Manning's Political Realignment, drafted for the wealthy corporate sector and brought to fruition by the National Citizens Coalition and the Northern Foundation, must never be allowed free rein. They want to completely dismantle all social programs, including support for senior citizens, women and non-Anglos.
But is little Stevie Fletcher any better than little Stevie Harper? You be the judge.
Bloc Quebecois youth wing calls for resignation of Tory minister The Canadian Press
August 15, 2009
QUEBEC CITY - The youth wing of the Bloc Quebecois is calling for the resignation of federal Democratic Reform Minister Steven Fletcher.
The Bloc is taking issue with Fletcher for re-iterating this past week the Conservatives' intention to eventually do away with per-vote subsidies.
He said Canadians are frustrated with the notion their taxes help fund a sovereigntist party. Bloc youth wing president Jean-Francois Landry says Quebec voters shouldn't be considered second-class citizens.
At the youth wing's general council meeting in Quebec City Saturday, Landry called Fletcher's comments unacceptable and undemocratic.
At the University of Manitoba, Fletcher berated left-leaning student politicians, and referred to their newspaper as a a 'socialist rag'. The students called him an embarassment.
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