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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

World's First Court Challenge of Fixed-Election-Date Law Will Also Determine the Effect of Laws in Seven Provinces and the Northwest Territories, and Other Parliamentary Democracies

Group Has Created a Facebook Group To Protest Another Snap Federal Election

“The government's bill provides that the date for the next general election will be Monday, October 19, 2009.  Of course, that will be the date only if the government is able to retain the confidence of the House until then.  The bill does not affect the powers of the Governor General to call an election sooner if a government loses the confidence of the House.”

Hon. Rob Nicholson (then-Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform), testifying before the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on December 6, 2006 about the fixed election date measures in Bill C-16, which became law on May 3, 2007

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

OTTAWA - Today, Democracy Watch announced that its court challenge of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's snap election call in September 2008 will be heard in the Federal Court of Appeal next Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

Democracy Watch's case challenges the Prime Minister's action of advising the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call an election in September 2008 as a violation of the fixed-election date measures that the Conservatives introduced, and Parliament voted in favour of adding to the Canada Elections Act, in May 2007.

Democracy Watch's case does not challenge the Governor General's constitutional right to dissolve Parliament and call an election, nor does it challenge or seek to overturn the results of the 2008 federal election.

DATE: Tuesday, May 25, 2010
TIME: 9:30 am Ottawa time
LOCATION: Federal Court of Appeal courtroom, 90 Sparks St., 10th floor, Ottawa

For details about the appeal case, click here.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Duff Conacher, Coordinator of Democracy Watch,
Tel: (613) 241-5179
Ottawa
dwatch@web.net

Peter Rosenthal, Lawyer for Democracy Watch
Tel: 416-657-1465
Toronto
Email: <rosent@math.toronto.edu>

Democracy Watch's Fixed Election Date Case webpage

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"Canadians Against Snap Elections"

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