cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/40228347
The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down a Ford government law that restricted political advertising by third parties, such as unions, in the year ahead of a scheduled election campaign.
The top court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the law allowed for political parties’ ads to “drown out” those of third-party groups, infringing on citizens’ right to meaningfully participate in the democratic process.
“The information available to voters in Ontario in the year before an election must include the interests, voices and views of different citizens and parties,” reads the majority decision written by Justice Andromache Karakatsanis.
This is good for unions and other above-board groups, but I can’t help but wonder how this affects the various “dark money” lobby groups that have unclear ownership, but have been buying political ads across the country.
please, I beg of you, control this closely. the citizens united case in the us drove a stake through the heart of this country.
This is exactly what I thought of when I read it. Although moneyed interests always have ways of influencing politics, a decision like this will help the bosses more than the unions.
This is good for unions and other above-board groups, but I can’t help but wonder how this affects the various “dark money” lobby groups that have unclear ownership, but have been buying political ads across the country.
As long as they are citizens it is their right to " meaningfully participate in the democratic process" whether you agree with them, like it, or not.
I would argue that we at least have the right to know who they are. In the case of unions, that’s certainly the case.
I would argue that if you don’t like the system you should work to change the system and ensure that all Political advertisements must make available who paid for it. Which to my knowledge is already a thing in Canada.
Is it? Because we seem to be highly dependent on investagative journalists for that sort of thing.
Is it? Because we seem to be highly dependent on investagative journalists for that sort of thing.
Who use access to information requests to get information for their investigations. Which you, as a citizen, can also make in order to obtain aforementioned information.
If you want the information go and get it instead of being highly dependent on others to tell you what the truth is.
Search “Canada access to information broken” to understand previous comments…
Search “Canada access to information broken” to understand previous comments…
Search “Canada access to information” to find the portal to make a request to access information and find that it is functional. Which is the opposite of “broken”.
The thing is, should people have the right for their voice to be louder than others, and to participate with more force, just because they have more money?
People don’t have the right to have their voice be louder, they have the option because they have more money and that is what is valued in our society.
If you don’t like the system change it.
Don’t try to start arguments asking questions that don’t matter to someone simply pointing out a fact regarding universal rights for citizens.
