This is a Call to Action.
If you support this, post an entry on your blog as well. We need as many people as possible to hear about this.
Not just for Progressive Bloggers, or Dippers, but for all concerned voters of all stripes. The Debate schedule has been set by the MSM and the 4 sitting Parties…. and the Green Party has been shut-out of the Debate again.
This is not acceptable.
The Green Party of Canada is a National party (which only 3 of 4 of the other parties can say).
The Green Party of Canada has been funded By Taxpayers under law by Elections Canada because it has reached a critical threshold of National relevance. The only reason remaining for its’ Leader, Jim Harris, to *not* be included in the Debate is political inertia, and possibly fear, from the other parties.
My Proposal… is for anyone reading this post… to phone the National Media that have agreed to broadcast the debate. I’m going to try to spread this message, far and wide… We’ll see what happens.
I would also suggest we do this in a structured manner.
ie: We should phone and email at coordinated times for maximum effect, perhaps, on the Hour from now until 10PM EST. This should ensure that,
- The message is clear and loud
- the magnitude of people calling is also clear
- we are organized, and persistent
Again, if you support this and have a blog, post an entry on your blog as well. We need as many people as possible to hear about this as possible. Don’t bother linking to me… heck just copy paste this entry if you want.
Below is contact information for all the major media outlets. I would recommend phoning your MP (or the candidate you will be supporting) as well.
The CBC:
Phone: 1-866-306-4636
Or web/email: http://www.cbc.ca/contact/index.jsp
Radio-Canada Nouvelles (news):
Phone: 1-888-306-4636
email: http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/pourNousEcrire/
CTV:
Phone: (416) 332-5000 (Ontario)
news@ctv.ca
Global (Corporate):
Phone: (204) 956-2025 (Manitoba)
email: viewerrelations@globaltv.ca
Global National TV
email: globalnational@canada.com
Update: The reasons
People will say.. “Why bother. The Greens aren’t relevant, because they’ve never had a seat in Parliament or Legislature, and they’ve only got 4% of the vote”
The Response:
- Elections Canada, by setting the 2% voting threshold, implicitly set a “threshold of relevance”. Statistically, 4% is not insignificant. 4% is, for example, the difference right now between the Liberal and Conservatives in many polls.
- Elections Canada funds 5 parties. The Liberals, Conservatives, Bloc, NDP, and The Green Party. Why, then, are the Greens not pat of the Debate?
- Debates are a key factor in any Election. And they raise the profile of a party ‘for free’. Gordon Wilson, former leader of the Liberal Party of BC, got his *new* party into the BC Debate in 1991. He won that debate, and it propelled his party into BC politics. Now, the Liberal Party is governing BC.
- The Green Party was allowed into the Debate in the last election in British Columbia. If they are there provincially, why not naitonally? I am not aware of other provinces.. if others know if the Green Party was allowed into Provincial Debates there, let me know.
Update 2
EDIT: I’ve changed the Petition to the Official Green Party petition being created and used by the Green Party itselfIt doesn’t matter if you’re not going to vote for them. In fact, it’s better if you didn’t!
All that matters is that the Elections process is as fair as possible.
I’ve just added a post, linking back to this one …
http://www.jdwanless.ca/2005/12/02/make-sure-the-debates-include-all-parties/
Nah, don’t do it.
You are confusing the relative and social construct of “significance” with true statistical significance. A common mistake among those who haven’t studied the sciences.
But besides that, do imagine the possible repercussions; what if, say Christian Heritage got 500 000 votes? (I agree not likely, but still…) Should they too be included in debates as well?
What should the threshold be? I don’t know. But higher than 3.5%. Perhaps if a recognized party sits in the house, then it should be represented? That might be fairer.
But to hear another voice which will simply obfuscate the potential messages of the three (or four in Pq) leaders is not helpful IMHO.
Oh well.
In Statistical terms, a 5% difference of opinion (say, in a poll) is generally considered “statistically significant”.
The Green Party received 4.5% of the vote last time around. That means.. statistically.. they’re flirting with the mark of making a real difference in the outcome of an election. Just as Ross Perot and other Independant candidates in the US have done.
There is, realistically, simply no other party in Canada that could seriously garner that many votes. Not one.
And as I said in the post… the Greens were in the Debate in the last BC election. So why not Nationally?
There is a petition… from last year on the same topic.:
The circumstances are much different now… the case for inclusion, much stronger.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/6549875/
It has over 13,000 signatures. That’s not insignificant either. Time to add to that petition.
How about we let them elect an MP first.
I’m sick of fringe parties whining about how they’re not included in the debate. Let them get to official party status once or at least AT LEAST elect an MP.
I have created a petition for this election…you do not have to be a green party supporter in order to support the fair portrayal of NATIONAL party leaders. The Bloq is NOT national.
http://new.petitiononline.com/gpmee06/petition.html
Please go and sign it if you believe that the media should be more equitable in print, tv and BLOGS!
I am a statistics professor (part time) and the concept of statistical significance is only used when you are dealing with a sample.
An election is not a sample. A poll is. In 2004, 4.3% of the POPULATION of Canadian voters voted Green.
Significance does not apply when you are talking about population data such as this….ONLY with samples. A poll is a sample and as such you will note the accuracy figures and significance data given with each poll. What polls don’t tell you though is exactly how they obtained their random samples….but that’s another issue!
Hishighness:
Who else is whining about how they’re not included in the debate?
Orla: point taken
hishighness:
Would over $1 Million dollars in Federal election funding (i.e. taxpayer dollars) convince you that they are an official party?
The Reform Party and Bloq Quebecios both were given spots in Election debates with less support than the Greens, excuses to this extent are nonstarters. The fact is that the Greens both deserve to be in the Debate and have earned their spot in the Debate through election showings.
In absentia,
Pete