Join A Virtual Rally Against Ford Government’s Move to Muzzle Opposition
Posted: June 14, 2021
(June 13, 2021)
By: Doug Draper, Niagara At Large
“So Doug Ford wants to break the constitution to up his chances of winning an election & stifle his opposition. The only other time I have been this disgusted was when Ford passed Bill 218 last fall to shield the for-profit long-term care companies from liability for their negligence,” – Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra on hearing the news that Doug Ford is invoking the notwithstanding clause to override the constitution.
We are calling on all our members and supporters to please join in the online protest organized by the Ontario Federation of Labour.
Details here:
*Urgent Fill the Ontario Legislature Galleries (virtually) Monday, June 14 @ 10AM
Registration required to get the Zoom link: ** www.powerofmany.ca/defenddemocracy * <http://www.powerofmany.ca/defenddemocracy> **
A Message from the Ontario Federation of Labour –
Doug Ford wants to silence his critics by any means necessary. After a judge ruled key parts of his government’s anti-democratic Bill 254 to be unconstitutional, Ford is recalling the legislature to use the notwithstanding clause, a nuclear option, to override the constitution.
This desperate move attempts to prevent families from holding Ford accountable for the disaster in long-term care, silence parents and educators who urged him to make classrooms safer, and muzzle workers demanding paid sick days.
On Monday, Ford’s Conservatives will make their attempt to ram through this legislation. Join us and people across Ontario on *Monday, June 14 @ 10AM *to virtually pack the gallery and send a message loud and clear: *we will not let Doug Ford destroy our democracy.*
Please share this action with your friends & families and encourage them to join. A fact checker on the new changes to the Election Finances Act can be found below.
Fact Checker on the Election Finance Act from the Ontario Health Coalition –
- The Ford government’s changes to the Act actually DOUBLED the allowed limits for donations to political parties (benefiting the PC Party the most), thus their rhetoric re. limiting big money is not truthful.
- Ford’s changes to the Act also enabled candidates to double the amount they donate to their own campaigns benefiting wealthy candidates.
- “Third party advertising” under the Act was defined to include all kinds of things not normally considered advertising. Included as 3rd party “advertising” is everything from a TV ad or billboard to posting a comparison of political party platforms on our own website, boosting a Facebook post or tweet, holding a townhall meeting on health cuts, or sending an email to a listserv.
- Ford’s changes limited those communications about any public policy for a year before the election is called.
- The Act also made almost impossible-to-manage restrictions on people belonging to two advocacy organizations.
- Despite what is being reported now, the biggest spenders on “Third Party advertising” last election were Ontario Proud, construction companies, real estate developers, the Ontario Medical Association. Working Families and Unifor followed.
Ford’s limits on communicating impact all the citizens’ interest groups like ours, the autism, LTC families’, child care, public transit coalitions & more.
Ford invoking the Notwithstanding Clause limits all our ability to advocate policy change & is terrible politics.
Ontario Health Coalition
About the Ontario Health Coalition – The Ontario Health Coalition is comprised of a Board of Directors, committees of the Board as approved in the Coalition’s annual Action Plan, Local Coalitions, member organizations and individual members. Currently the Ontario Health Coalition represents more than 400 member organizations and a network of Local Health Coalitions and individual members.
Our members include: seniors’ groups; patients’ organizations; unions; nurses and health professionals’ organizations; physicians and physician organizations that support the public health system; non-profit community agencies; student groups; ethnic and cultural organizations; residents’ and family councils; retirees; poverty and equality-seeking groups; women’s organizations, and others.
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