Ford’s new bill moves to silence critics
The recent introduction of the Bill 254, Protecting Ontario Elections Act, by the Ford government is nothing more than a cynical effort to silence critics before the next Ontario election.
The proposed bill will now limit how important conversations take place about the current and future direction of the province. Under the bill, groups that either support or oppose government legislation must register a full year before an election and are limited to how much they can spend; how they interact with other like-minded groups; and what suppliers they can use. This has the chilling effect of restricting free speech and the right to association.
The amount that third parties can spend have been cut in half under the proposed bill. The current limits, which are currently the subject of a charter challenge, do not come anywhere close to what the political parties can spend; are not tax deductible and do not reflect the cost of a sustained communications campaign.
Third parties are an important part of the democratic process. They can raise issues to the public that are not being discussed by the major political parties; they share their opinions on how a particular piece of legislation could impact them and their constituents; and they hold legislators accountable for their actions.
Under the proposed legislation, individuals or organizations that wish to comment on a government bill that could be considered an election issue will need to register if they spend more than $500 conveying their opinion. The chief electoral officer is given the responsibility of determining whether it falls into the category of political advertising.
Even more outrageous is that this bill limits individuals or organizations from sharing information, appealing to donors who share a similar point of view and using a common vendor.
For example, an environmental organization promoting clean water could be limited to appealing for funds from supporters if there is a different environmental group seeking support for a species of fish residing in that water system. They could not use the same vendor for sending out direct mail or use consultants who have experience in the same area.
Since almost any issue facing a government could be considered an election issue, this legislation could be used to neuter opposition.
á The Doug Ford government is taking this draconian effort prior to the next election to block critics who oppose this government’s handling on a number of issues.
á Health-care workers are critical of the government’s handling during the COVID-19 crisis, especially among the personal support workers.
á Family members are mad at Ford over the disastrous response to long-termcare residents.
á Parents and education workers are upset over mixed messages, lack of planning and overall handling of the response to the education system during the pandemic.
á Small business owners, restaurant owners and others who have been affected by closures, lockdowns and restrictions that have forced them out of business or to take on massive debt. And the list goes on.
By implementing this new legislation, the Ford government hopes to blunt some of these critics. By depriving these groups and others, the Ford government hopes the public will only focus on the issues it wants. As we saw in the last election, Ford didn’t present a detailed costed platform but instead talked about buck-a-beer; cutting taxes; and eliminating the cap-and-trade program. He avoided the hard issues and benefited by restrictions on third parties introduced by the previous government.
Democracy is best served when all points of view are heard and not restricted just to politicians and political parties.
Since almost any issue facing a government could be considered an election issue, this legislation could be used to neuter opposition