Voter Rights Campaign 2009

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Voter Rights Campaign - 2009

Democracy Watch released the following documents in 2009 in its Voter Rights Campaign
(newest to oldest)

REPORT CARD: Federal Conservatives' Accountability and Democratic Reform Record Earns Only an "E" Grade For Breaking Many Promises and Practising Politics As Usual -- Three Years After Federal Accountability Act Became Law, Dishonesty, Conflicts of Interest, Excessive Secrecy, Unlimited Donations and Patronage All Still Legal -- Another, Stronger Accountability Act Needed (December 16, 2009)
NEWS RELEASE: Ontario Liberals Reject Good Government Amendments to Their "Bad Government Act" -- Dishonesty, Secret Unlimited Donations, Secret Lobbying, Excessive Secrecy and Conflicts of Interest Still Allowed, and Independence of Public Inquiries Undermined (December 3, 2009)
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Federal Conservatives broke their whistleblower protection and open government election promises, as the Afghan prisoner scandal makes clear (National Post and Globe and Mail, November 24-25, Edmonton Journal, November 29, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE AND RADIO PIECE: Failure of federal Conservatives to keep their promise to create an independent Public Appointments Commission to curb crony and patronage Cabinet appointments (Radio-Canada.ca (French), October 22, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Conservative Prime Minister Harper's record of patronage appointments no better than past Liberal governments, but more hypocritical because he promised to create independent Public Appointments Commission (Vancouver Sun and Kelowna.com (Barbara Yaffe's column), October 14, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Federal politicians' pay, perks and pension are too high and disconnect them from the concerns of most voters (MoneySense magazine, October 2009 issue)
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Federal politicians should free Parliamentary Budget Officer and other officers of Parliament to release their accountability reports at any time (Hill Times, September 24, 2009)
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)
NEWS RELEASE: Democracy Watch Marks Second International Day of Democracy -- Calls on Political Parties Across Canada to Make Much-Needed and Well-Known Democratizing Changes (September 15, 2009)
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 Five 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: Given Ruling in Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien Case, Democracy Watch Calls on Federal Director of Public Prosecutions to Review Other Recent Questionable Cabinet Appointment and Favour-Trading Cases -- Ethics Commissioners Across Canada Must Also Issue Guidelines Clearing Up Ethics Rules on Favour-Trading, and Public Appointments Commissions Must Be Created to Prevent Patronage and Cronyism (August 6, 2009)
OP-ED: Ruling in O’Brien case only first step to stopping lobbying and Canadian government’s patronage games (Ottawa Citizen, August 6, 2009 and Montreal Gazette, August 7, 2009 and Halifax Chronicle Herald, August 13, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Government patronage and cronyism will continue after O'Brien case ruling unless laws are clearly and publicly defined, enforcement is strong, and independent appointment commissions are created (Globe and Mail (Lawrence Martin's column), August 5-6, 2009)
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: All federal political parties have failed to ensure fully independent and effective Parliamentary Budget Officer -- second Accountability Act needed to close loopholes, strengthen independence and powers of all enforcement agencies (Hill Times, August 3, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: New rules have loopholes -- inquiry needed into Ontario government consulting contracts after eHealth scandal (Ottawa Citizen, National Post, and Kelowna.com (all publishing CanWest News Service article), July 22, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: As in all cities and towns, expenses paid for by public in Calgary must be regulated by strict and clear rules and independent enforcement body to prevent abuse (Calgary Herald, July 10, 2009)
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Public Appointments Commission should not be scrapped, it should be set up as soon as possible, and law changed to require Cabinet to maintain Commission (Hill Times, July 6, 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
WEBSITE EDITORIAL: Toronto Star (editorial about Canadian Press wire article) re: Federal politicians decide in secret meetings to create loopholes in their ethics rules to allow political party leaders to buy them off, decreasing their independence -- To see the Star editorial, click here (June 13, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Federal politicians decide in secret meetings to create loopholes in their ethics rules to allow political party leaders to buy them off, decreasing their independence (CTV.ca and 28 other media outlets across Canada (all publishing Canadian Press wire article), June 6-8, 2009)
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: If Federal Conservatives Had Kept Their Promise to Create an Independent Public Appointments Commission in 2006, Cabinet Ministers Would Be Sheltered From Accusations of Rewarding Party Favours With Appointments (National Post and Canada.com, May 25, 2009 and Edmonton Journal, May 29, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Federal Conservatives have broken their promise to establish a Public Appointments Commission, failing to solve problem caused by unqualified Cabinet appointees at Immigration and Refugee Board and other government institutions (HarperIndex.ca, May 14, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Federal Conservative Cabinet appoints several Conservatives to federal government institutions, continuing to fail to establish promised Public Appointments Commission (CTV.ca and 27 other media outlets across Canada (all publishing a Canadian Press wire article), May 11, 2009)
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Federal government still needs key democratic reforms (in part because of past Conservative and Liberal broken promises), but is more democratic and accountable than 20 years ago (Hill Times, May 11, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: B.C. referendum may result in positive change to provincial voting system, but key accountability problems will remain (Montreal Gazette, May 10, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Conservatives repeat 2006 and 2008 election promise that they will create independent Public Appointments Commission to help ensure merit-based Cabinet appointments (Canoe.ca and 19 other media websites across Canada (all publishing a Canadian Press wire article), May 4, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Prime Minister Harper's Conservatives ignore some new laws, even laws they proposed and supported (Xtra magazine, April 15, 2009)
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Prime Minister Harper's Conservatives have broken as many government accountability promises as they have kept, have failed to clean up the federal government and have increased voter cynicism, just like Jean Chretien's Liberals did (Canada.com and Nanaimo Daily News, April 8, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Prime Minister Harper's Conservatives have broken as many government accountability promises as they have kept, failing to clean up the federal government and increasing voter cynicism (Canada.com and 3 CanWest News Service newspapers, April 4, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Elections Canada should continue investigation into phone fraud during 2008 election in federal Conservative Cabinet minister Gary Lunn's riding because key questions can be answered, and must investigate whether third party groups that supported Lunn colluded illegally (Victoria Times Colonist, Canada.com and 10 other CanWest newspapers across Canada, March 27, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Half as many Canadians wrote to Conservative Prime Minister Harper in last two years than in recent years, a sign of voter turnoff and frustration (Canoe.ca and two other SunMedia newspapers, March 22, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Elections Canada drops 2008 election phone fraud investigation -- difficult to believe every investigative technique and power was used to find person behind the fraud (The Tyee.ca, March 19, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Federal Conservatives give $500 million in defence contracts to program that audits have shown has spending accountability problems (Canada.com and 11 CanWest News Service newspapers across Canada, March 10, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: House of Commons introduces new page on its website listing how MPs vote on bills and other matters (Hill Times, February 23, 2009)
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Former federal Privacy Commissioner George Radwanski not convicted of government spending crime, but judge's ruling made it clear that does not mean Radwanski acted properly (Vancouver Sun and Montreal Gazette, February 17-18, 2009)
NEWS RELEASE: Global Integrity 2008 Report Drops Canada From "Strong" to "Moderate" Level in World's Most Detailed Assessment of Government Integrity and Democracy (February 18, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Head of Alberta elections agency and opposition parties call for end to ruling party-appointments of front-line election officials (Edmonton Sun, February 14, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Federal Department of Defence audit indicates similar oversight problems in communications contract as in past contracts, but details kept secret (Canada.com and 8 CanWest News Service newspapers across Canada, February 11, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Democracy Watch granted standing as a full party for Oliphant Commission of Inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber affair's review of federal ethics, political financing, spending and access to information laws and enforcement systems (Canoe.ca and 26 other media outlets across Canada (all publishing Canadian Press wire article), February 11, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Auditor General and Elections Canada must be given power to review pre-election spending by parties to ensure parties, not public, pay for partisan events (CBC.ca and 18 other media outlets across Canada (all publishing Canadian Press wire article), January 26, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Democracy Watch seeks standing as party and/or intervenor in Oliphant Commission of Inquiry into Mulroney-Schreiber affair to recommend changes to federal ethics, political financing, spending and access to information laws and enforcement systems (CBC.ca and 29 other media outlets across Canada (all publishing Canadian Press wire article), January 22, 2009) -- To see Democracy Watch's submission, click here
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Federal government institutions in a conflict of interest when investigating themselves (often in secret) in cases of wrongdoing -- independent, public investigations needed (CBC.ca and 29 other media outlets across Canada (all publishing Canadian Press wire article), January 18-19, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Public political funding changes, honesty-in-politics law, voting system reform, and democracy education, all proposed by Democracy Watch, are among the top solutions to problems with Canada's democracy (Canada.com and CanWest News Service newspapers across Canada, January 15, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Department of National Defence projects worth billions of dollars lack effective oversight, according to Department's internal audit (National Post and 4 other CanWest News Service newspapers across Canada, January 12, 2009)
WEBSITE ARTICLE: Just like the Liberals did, federal Conservatives fail to penalize company that failed to deliver new military helicopters on time to the government (Canada.com and 11 other CanWest newspapers across Canada, December 29, 2008)
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Prime Minister Harper's Senate and Supreme Court appointments are two of four appointment promises the Conservatives have broken, and add to their 27 other broken democratic reform promises (Canada.com and six other newspapers across Canada, and the subject of interviews with nine radio shows across Canada, December 23, 2008)
REPORT CARD: Federal Conservatives' So-Called "Federal Accountability Act" and Related Decisions Earn a "D" Grade For Only Partially Increasing Government Democracy and Accountability (December 12, 2008) -- To see Canadian Press wire article about the Report Card published by 23 media outlets across Canada, click here)

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