Regardless of whether or not you support the Green Party, if you would like all four political parties to participate in tomorrow night's televised/webcast Nova Scotian leadership debate, make your voice heard.
Our supposedly neutral media is creating a dangerous precedent by excluding a political party with candidates in all 308 federal ridings, and now in all 52 provincial ridings in Nova Scotia. How can a party with such a significant following not be given a chance to appeal directly to Canadians for their support via televised leadership debates?
If you feel that Canadians should have the right to make an informed decision based on ALL of the choices, rather than having the mainstream media make such judgments on our behalf, then it is imperative that we ALL express our opposition to the CBC, as well as to the Halifax Chronicle Herald (co-host of tomorrow night's televised Nova Scotia leadership debate), for excluding the Green Party.
HERE'S HOW TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
CBC
email:
Maritimes Regional Director - TV: Ron Crocker
Maritimes Regional Director - Radio: Susan Mitton
Executive Producer - TV: Nancy Waugh
http://www.cbc.ca/ns/contact/ (see column on right side)
phone:
CBC Nova Scotia
(902) 420-8311
HALIFAX CHRONICLE-HERALD
email:
Terry O'Neil, managing editor - toneil@herald.ca
Dan Leger, assistant managing editor - dleger@herald.ca
Marilla Stephenson, political columnist - mstephenson@herald.ca
letters to the editor - letters@herald.ca
phone:
1-902-426-2811
...and if you're really keen...
OTHER NOVA SCOTIAN PARTIES (ask for their public support)
Progressive Conservative Leader Rodney MacDonald
Email: irene.macleod@rodneymacdonald.ca
Phone: 902-429-9470
TOLL FREE: 1-800-595-8679
Fax: 902-423-2465
NDP Leader Darrell Dexter
Email: ndpadmin@nsndp.ca
Toll Free: 1-800-753-7696
Phone: (902) 423-9217
Fax: (902) 423-9618
Liberal Leader Francis MacKenzie
Email: libhq@ns.aliantzinc.ca
Telephone: 832-3332
Fax: 832-3343
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Forget online petitions - demand Green Party involvement in NS debate DIRECTLY
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3 Comments:
Here's what I sent the TV director Mr. Crocker:
I'm dismayed to hear that CBC is not including the Green Party in yet another televised debate where they are fielding enough candidates to form government. If you have the power to include all parties that could potentially form government in the debate, then I urge you to improve Canada's democracy by doing so.
Thank you for your time,
Saskboy
P.S. I became aware of the Green missing from the debate here: http://ididntgetwhereiamtoday.blogspot.com/2006/05/forget-online-petitions-demand-green.html
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I think someone needs to make a news tip phone call, and say, "A party that could form government is being purposely excluded from the televised debate. Democracy is dying on the media's watch."
Here's the response that I received from the Halifax Chronicle-Herald:
Hello;
Thanks for writing. I can understand people are curious about the Green Party and some would like to see its leader take part in the debate. However, the Greens have never run a candidate in a provincial election, in fact no Nova Scotian has cast a single ballot for the Greens in any provincial election. They have no electoral track record at all. They also have no platform. Their leader was chosen by 22 people at a meeting a couple of months ago.
It is one thing to declare yourself a party and round up 52 candidates, it is quite another to be a legitimate political force in this province.
Perhaps after this election, Nova Scotians will demonstrate their belief in the legitimacy of the Green Party by voting for them in significant numbers. If that happens, they will no doubt be more than welcome in the leaders debate before the next provincial election.
Sincerely
Dan Leger
Dan Leger
Assistant Managing Editor/Columnist
The Chronicle Herald
902-426-3340
Mobile: 902-223-3296
email: dleger@herald.ca
web: http://thechronicleherald.ca/
I got a reply from Crocker, and check out this gem from it:
"the CBC as a regulated broadcaster does have an obligation to reflect the views and positions of new and emerging parties in an equitable and fair way. The CRTC has ruled that equitable does not mean equal, and that the coverage can be achieved over a reasonable period of time."
Seperate, but equal, in other words. Why the concern about putting the Greens face to face with the other parties? Surely in such a contest the "relatively minor player" would be seen as a joke, and the electorate treat them as such? Apparently the public isn't able to discern a real party, from one CBC approves of.
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