Voter Rights Campaign
Summary
of Fixed Election Date Court Case
Join
the Facebook group
"Canadians Against Snap Elections"
Set out below are
documents about Democracy Watch's court case
challenging Prime Minister Stephen Harper's arbitrary
election call in September 2008
(in
reverse chronological order)
The case was filed in the
Federal Court of Canada in September 2008 as part of
Democracy Watch's Voter Rights Campaign, and
as the first case on this issue in the world, the case
set a precedent
for the fixed-election-date laws in 7 provinces and
the Northwest Territories, and similar laws in
parliamentary democracies worldwide:
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Federal
fixed-election date measures too weak to restrict
Prime Minister from calling snap election
(iPolitics.ca, February 10, 2012)
- NEWS RELEASE: Early
October federal and provincial fixed voting days shut
out people with kids, and university and college
students (August 31, 2011) -- To see related
Canadian Press wire article, published by GlobalNews.ca
and 20 other media outlets across Canada, click
here -- To see
PostMedia News article, click
here
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Given
his
vague
law
and past broken promises, it is very unclear whether
Prime Minister Harper will comply with fixed election
date of October 19, 2015 (Canada.com,
GlobalNews.ca, and 20 Postmedia News newspapers and TV
stations across Canada, May 19-20, 2011)
- OP-ED: We can
have fixed election dates most of the time, and that
is good (Published in letter form in the Globe and Mail,
April 1, 2011)
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Democracy
Watch
calls
on
B.C.
and
other six provinces and Northwest Territories to
change their fixed election date laws to require an
election soon after ruling party leader resigns
(Kelowna News, March 1, 2011)
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Supreme
Court
of
Canada
confirms
that
federal
Conservatives broke their 2006 election promise to
pass fixed election date law (Canada.com, National Post and
23 other PostMedia and Global TV media outlets across
Canada, January 20-21, 2011)
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Supreme
Court
of
Canada
confirms
that
federal Conservatives broke their 2006 election
promise to pass fixed election date law (CBC.ca,
CTV.ca and 17 other media outlets across Canada (all
publishing Canadian Press wire article), January 20-21,
2011)
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Federal
Court
of
Appeal
ruling
puts
B.C.
fixed
election
date
law,
and date of next provincial election, in doubt (Georgia Straight,
November 3-4, 2010)
- LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Fixed
Election
Date Court Case Continues With Application to
Appeal to Supreme Court of Canada
(Hill Times,
October 18, 2010)
- LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Governor General
Michaelle Jean Should Also Explain Why She Approved
Prime Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Election
Call (National
Post, October 1, 2010)
- NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Applies
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
For
Leave
to
Appeal
Fixed
Election
Date
Case
Ruling
-- Group Calls
on Prime Minister to Promise Not to Call
Another Snap Election Until Supreme Court
Rules
(September 27, 2010) - JOIN Facebook
Group To Protest Another Snap Federal
Election
- NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court
of
Appeal
Ruling
Means
Harper
Conservatives
Broke
Their
2006
Election
Promise
to
Fix
Election
Dates
--
Democracy Watch
Will Apply For Leave to Appeal to Supreme
Court of Canada
(May 26, 2010) JOIN Facebook
Group To Protest Another Snap Federal
Election
- NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
in
Court
Today
--
Appealing
Federal
Court
Ruling
That
Legalized
Conservative
Prime
Minister
Harper's
September
2008
Snap
Federal
Election
Call
Despite Fixed-Election-Date Law (May 25, 2010)
NOTE: Covered by 40 media outlets across Canada
- MEDIA ALERT: May
25th
Hearing of Appeal of Federal Court Ruling That
Legalized Conservative Prime Minister Harper's
September 2008 Snap Federal Election Call Despite
Fixed-Election-Date Law (May 19, 2010 -- To see related
Canoe.ca article (published by 5 SunMedia newspapers
across Canada), click
here
- NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Appeals
Federal
Court
Ruling
That
Legalized
Conservative
Prime
Minister
Harper's
September
2008
Snap
Federal
Election
Call
Despite
Fixed-Election-Date
Law
--
Case Will Be Heard By Federal Court of Appeal
on May 25, 2010 -- Group Calls on PM Harper To
Promise Not To Call Another Snap Election
(March 10, 2010)
- NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Appeals Federal Court Ruling That Legalized
Conservative Prime Minister Harper's September 2008
Snap Federal Election Call Despite Fixed-Election-Date
Law -- Group Calls on Prime
Minister to Promise Not Call Another Snap
Election -- Will Seek Quick Hearing If Needed
to Prevent Another Snap Election Call, and Has Created a
Facebook Group To Protest Another Snap Federal
Election
(January 13, 2010)
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Court
ruling means Conservatives misled Parliament and broke
their 2006 election promise to pass a law fixing the
dates of federal elections -- Democracy Watch
will appeal (CTV.ca and 23 other media
outlets across Canada (all publishing Canadian Press
wire article), September 17, 2009) -- To see the Federal
Court ruling, click
here
- NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court
Hears
Challenge
Today
of
Legality
of
Conservative
Prime
Minister
Harper's
September
2008
Federal
Election
Call
--
World's First
Court Challenge of Fixed-Election-Date Law
Will Determine Effect of Similar Laws in Six
Provinces and the Northwest Territories, and
in Other Parliamentary Democracies
(September 8, 2009)
- TV INTERVIEW: Duff
Conacher on CBC Newsworld's afternoon show about
Democracy Watch's court challenge of Prime Minister
Harper's 2008 election call (September 8, 2009)
- TV INTERVIEW: Duff
Conacher on CTV Newsnet about court challenge of Prime
Minister Harper's 2008 election call (September 8,
2009)
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Democracy
Watch challenges Prime Minister Harper's 2008 election
call in Federal Court as a violation of
fixed-election-date law (Canada.com, GlobalTV.com,
National Post
and 10 CanWest News Service newspapers, September 8,
2009)
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Democracy
Watch challenges Prime Minister Harper's 2008 election
call in Federal Court as a violation of
fixed-election-date law (Canoe.ca and 24 SunMedia
newspapers, September 8, 2009)
- NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court
Will Hear Challenge of Legality of Prime Minister's
September 2008 Federal Election Call on September 8,
2009 -- Democracy
Watch Prepared to File Another Court Challenge
if Prime Minister Tries Calling Another Snap
Election This Summer
(June 23, 2009) -- To
see CP article about news release (published by
9 media outlets across Canada) on CTV.ca, click
here
- NEWS RELEASE: Ruling
on
Motion Means Court Challenge of Legality of Prime
Minister's Federal Election Call Will Be Decided After
the Election (October 3, 2008)
- NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Files Court Challenge of Prime Minister's Federal
Election Call -- Violates Fixed Election Date Law and
Charter Rights (October 1, 2008)
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Election
call by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper
violates constitutional conventions and his own
fixed-election date law (Canada.com and 10 other
CanWest News Service newspapers, September 6, 2008)
- NEWS RELEASE: Conservatives’
False Claims About Fixed-Election-Date Law Bite Back
-- Federal Election Should Not Be Held Until House of
Commons Votes Against Significant Government Measure,
and Until Other Key Issues are Resolved (September
5, 2006)
- WEBSITE ARTICLE: Conservative
Prime Minister Stephen Harper uses lame excuse that
"Parliament is not working" to try to justify calling
an election before the new fixed federal election date
of October 2009 (Canoe.ca and 4 other Sun Media
outlets, August 15, 2008)
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