Canadian Republic Broadcasting (CRB)

I want everyone reading this to understand how much CBC, our Canadian tax payer funded broadcasting news, is censoring and limiting free speech and dialogue of citizens and constituents during this election.

I've been following discussions on the CBC's Vancouver-Kingsway riding page and have been shocked to find that they are censoring and refusing to print comments I am trying to add to the dialogue, as well as invitations to constituents to read more on my blog. I'm very careful in writing my posts, non-libelous, stick to facts and observations that have basis in reality and experience (ie. what happened at the debates).

As far as I'm aware this humble little blog is the ONLY one reporting on the only two All Candidates meetings that took place in V-K leading up to the election, CBC sure as hell wasn't there & hasn't reported a damn thing about this riding.

It is this blog and maybe one other that are reporting critically on the invisible Conservative candidate and the inept Liberal candidate. CBC is censoring and limiting dialogue about cogent facts that voters in our riding need to help them make decisions on voting. This is what our national media has become under a neoConservative leadership, a state-funded propaganda machine & barrier to free speech. I think it's time for a re-brand and new name, lets call it: the Canadian Republic Broadcasting (CRB), because the censors are behaving no differently than state-owned media in the People's Republic of China. He who owns the press owns the dissemination of information & the people.

I can't help but wonder, am I the only person that the CBC is censoring and
limiting? I can't be. There are only 41 comments on the CBC riding site & I know there are A LOT of people interested, involved and invested in ensuring fairness during this election. Please e-mail me, or make a comment on this blog if the CBC has censored you too.

Here is another story about how fast Canada is sliding into dangerous territory, when you add in Stephen Harper using the RCMP in Surrey as bodyguards to shield Dona Cadman, Conservative candidate from constituents and local media, we can see where our "national police force" is heading too. Notice also how the media is sanitizing the story. The RCMP member was in RCMP uniform AND used a taxpayer bought RCMP vehicle to deliver lawn signs for the Conservative candidate, former RCMP Staff sergeant.

Voter says uniformed RCMP officer helped candidate
Incident alleged to have happened at Tory campaign office

David Hutton
The StarPhoenix

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

A La Ronge resident says he witnessed a uniformed RCMP officer delivering campaign signs for a Conservative candidate in northern Saskatchewan, a violation of the police force's strict neutrality policy.

Bill Layman, a longtime northern resident who's in the mining exploration business, said the uniformed officer was delivering large campaign placards on Monday around noon to the downtown constituency office of Rob Clarke, the Conservative candidate in the Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River.

The officer was using a marked RCMP pickup truck. Layman was driving to an advanced polling station to vote when he saw the officer taking signs out of the truck.

"This was a big freaking sign," Layman said. "I'm not into partisan politics . . . but this guy was 100 per cent totally delivering this stuff."

Layman tried to approach the man, he said, but the officer was "incredibly dismissive."

"He was very offhandish, like it was no big deal. He gave me a kind of Valley girl stare like it was no big deal, what's your problem?"

RCMP say the officer was off-duty at the time and was on his way to nearby Southend, where he is stationed. An investigation has been launched into the complaint, RCMP Sgt. Carole Raymond said.

"Any activity that our members do that seems that we're supporting any party is not something the RCMP supports," she said. "If we start taking sides then we're going to come across as supporting certain policies."

Clarke, the Conservative incumbent, won the riding in a byelection earlier this year. He was the RCMP sergeant in charge of the Spiritwood detachment in 2006 when three constables were fired on. Two of them, constables Robin Cameron and Marc Bourdages, died. He enjoys strong support among RCMP members because of his involvement, members of his campaign team said.

Russell Ullyatt, Clarke's campaign manager, said the organization has more than 500 volunteers and doesn't "have control over what they do.

"If the story is true, it's very unfortunate," he said.

Liberal party candidate David Orchard, Clarke's main rival in the riding, said it was "totally inappropriate" for a uniformed Mountie to be involved in campaigning during a federal election.

"It's completely (unacceptable) in a democracy for the national police force to be using its vehicles, openly, on the main street of a town, to drop off signs for a candidate," Orchard said. "It's a gesture of intimidation. It's frightening and unacceptable."

Layman said several people have accused him of playing partisan politics after he alerted media and other campaigns of what he saw. But, ironically, he cast his vote for Clarke at the advanced polling station a mere 10 minutes later, he said.

"This just really bothers me," Layman said. "This is about perception. It doesn't matter that he was off-duty. It's that he was doing it."

dhutton@sp.canwest.com

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For Immediate Release
October 7, 2008

RCMP investigating the Conservatives for abusing police resources during the campaign

OTTAWA - With the RCMP now investigating why an off-duty officer used a police vehicle to transport campaign signs for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River Conservative Candidate Rob Clarke, Conservatives must immediately stop the outrageous and unacceptable practice of using RCMP resources for their own political ends, said Liberal Candidate David Orchard.

"Our tax dollars are used to purchase RCMP vehicles so they can be used to protect our communities, not transport Conservative lawn signs," said Mr. Orchard. "The Conservatives have been caught politicizing the RCMP throughout this campaign. This is entirely unacceptable in a democracy and this abuse must end immediately."

Media reports confirm that that an off-duty, but uniformed RCMP officer used an RCMP vehicle to deliver campaign signs to the Conservative campaign office of Mr. Clarke. The fact that Mr. Clarke is a former RCMP officer makes the optics involving this incident even worse.

Throughout this campaign Conservative staffers have been trying to use the RCMP to do their political bidding.

At a recent campaign event in Surrey, British Columbia, Prime Minister Harper's staff demanded the RCMP block journalists from speaking with Dona Cadman about the financial offer she says her husband told her the Conservatives made to get him to join their party on the eve of a crucial confidence vote.

Again, on September 11, 2008, Mr. Harper's press secretary was caught on tape directing the RCMP to block reporters from questioning the Prime Minister saying, "I want that camera out of here."

The RCMP were also reportedly involved in assisting Conservative staffers in physically subduing a Conservative supporter at a rally who had made the apparent "error" of making a comment during the Prime Minister's speech.

"The job of the RCMP is not to campaign for the Conservatives or protect the party from media scrutiny. It should never be used as a political tool or resource by anyone during an election campaign," said Mr. Orchard.

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Contact:

Liberal Party of Canada Press Office
613-783-8888

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RCMP apologize for campaign gaffe
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 8, 2008. CBC News