With the current federal election campaign going on, candidates for seats in Parliament are more available to the public now than they ever will be if they get into office. They are willing and ready to speak with their constituents. None of the mainstream political parties have made any clear commitment about reforming the (more…)
With the current federal election campaign going on, candidates for seats in Parliament are more available to the public now than they ever will be if they get into office. They are willing and ready to speak with their constituents. Yes, that includes you. (more…)
From EFC’s Activate CFPL, March 29 2011: I’m not casting blame on anyone. All the party leaders had a pretty good idea of the date for Election Day before the fateful vote was cast in the House of Commons on March 25. But, the advance polling days include Good Friday and Easter Monday. Thankfully, they do not include Easter Sunday.
Easter Monday doesn’t bother me too much, although it will trouble some, but the idea of having election polling on Good Friday, one of the holiest and most significant celebrations on the Christian calendar, really … what’s the word … irks me. Read the whole posting here.
ARPA Note: Allowing families to split their income for tax purposes so that it isn’t a penalty to have one parent stay at home has been promoted for years by Christians. And it looks like it is now finally being raised as a possibility. But there are strings attached.
Globe and Mail, March 28 2011: Stephen Harper is kicking off the 2011 campaign battle for the middle class vote with a $2.5-billion tax break pledge aimed at parents of children under 18. But there’s a huge catch to this: It wouldn’t take effect until the deficit is eliminated – a date that could be four years in the future. Read more
UPDATE: New Election 2011 menu above. Be sure to check back for updates.
It’s official. We are going back to the polls for a federal election in early May. These six weeks are very important for determining what our next government will look like. You can have a direct role in shaping the outcome.
This election, lets go beyond reading about the campaign and actually get involved. Here are some suggestions for how to do that:
Questionnaire: ARPA’s election questionnaires go a long ways towards informing the community about the candidates. Consider helping your local ARPA with theirs.
UPDATE: At first we were thrilled to learn that the Senate was rushing Bill C-54 through and good progress was being made towards getting it passed on time. However, a source has informed us mid-Friday that the Opposition Senators have stalled the debate, effectively killing the bill.
If an election is called, many bills will die in Parliament without becoming law. In particular, there is one (Bill C-54) currently in the Senate that would increase mandatory minimum sentences and make it illegal to arrange to commit sexual offences against children. It can still be passed before Friday afternoon, if there is a will from the Senators. A sample letter and a list of all their email addresses is below. One bill that we would be grateful to see terminated is C-389 (adding extra rights for transgendered Canadians). Read more details about current bills that will be affected by an election here.