Category Archives: Liberal Party of Canada

Stop Stephen Harper from creating a wasteful iPod registry

Posted on by
Reply

What follows is an altered version of a Conservative Party of Canada fundraising letter about the long-gun registry. You can find the original here. It is meant to be satirical, and is based on the iPod tax recently uncovered by professor Mike Moffatt. This article is not associated with or endorsed by Professor Moffatt or by the Liberal Party of Canada. However, if you want to donate, feel free to follow the links.

(Urgent) Stop Stephen Harper from creating a wasteful iPod registry

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Earlier this year, Stephen Harper turned his back on all Canadians by creating a wasteful iPod registry. He’s even expected to whip his MPs into supporting this costly Conservative legacy.

If Stephen Harper succeeds, the wasteful iPod registry will threaten law-abiding musicians and music-loving Canadians – while doing nothing to promote jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.

We need your support now to prevent that from happening. Please make a contribution of $200 or $100 by following this link right now.

During the seven-year reign of Stephen Harper, eleven Conservative MPs stood with their constituents and spoke against an iPod tax seventy nine times. Now, when Stephen Harper is accused of creating an iPod tax, he says he must create an iPod registry to avoid raising taxes on law-abiding Canadians.

Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro was clear:

“The last thing Canadian families and consumers need is a massive new tax on iPods and other digital storage devices” (House of Commons Debate, December 14, 2010).

So was Conservative MP James Moore, saying “The iPod tax will drive away Canadian retailers, draining hundreds of millions of dollars from the Canadian economy”. (House of Commons Debate, December 14, 2010).

Del Mastro and Moore were joined by eleven other Conservative MPs in speaking against an iPod tax: Tony Clement, Shelly Glover, Mike Lake, Pierre Poilievre, Cathy McLeod, Scott Armstrong, Bruce Stanton, Cheryl Gallant, Christian Paradis, Ed Fast, and Laurie Hawn.

These MPs have now been told that they MUST support Stephen Harper. They must vote to create a wasteful iPod registry to prevent the creation of an unfair iPod tax. They must choose wasteful spending over increased taxes. They must choose their leader over their constituents. They must do what they have been told.

We need your help today to hold these Conservative MPs accountable. They need to understand the political consequences of punishing law-abiding musicians and music-loving Canadians. Of voting against their constituents. Of choosing Stephen Harper over their friends and neighbours back home.

I am launching a campaign to do just that. Please make a contribution of $200 or $100 right now by following this link in support of this campaign. We will ensure that every iPod owner, every citizen and every voter in these thirteen Conservative ridings will be fully aware of the choice they must make.

Their choice will be clear: SAY NO to a wasteful iPod registry and an unfair iPod tax. It’s as simple as that. No shifting, no sliding.

We need your help today to keep these Conservative MPs to their word. Make a contribution of $200 or $100 right now by following this link.

Working together we can prevent a wasteful Conservative iPod registry and an unfair iPod tax. Support our campaign today.

Sincerely,

Zach

PS – Remember that you’ll receive a tax receipt for any contribution you make. This can make the actual cost of your contribution as low as 25% of your overall giving this year. Please, follow this link right now and make a contribution of $200 or $100.

 

Imagine the Possibilities

Posted on by
Reply

Imagine a group which brings together like-minded Canadians from coast to coast to coast. A group without barriers to engagement. A group that encourages discourse and debate. Now imagine the individuals in that group, average Canadians, working together to effect change in the country they love.

This is what the Liberal Party of Canada must become.

We must create a party where all those with shared aspirations can democratically elect a local candidate and a national leader. Barriers to participation, whether based on race, religion, sex, or financial status, should be dismantled. The playing field should be level, and the process should be fair. Votes should be cast by mail, phone, and over the internet. It will cost the party a great deal of money to oversee such a campaign, but the benefits of openness, fairness, and democracy greatly outweigh the costs.

We must create a party where average Canadians, through research, collaboration, and old fashioned hard work, can see their ideas put forth during an election. The party leader’s line-by-line veto over the entire platform should be eliminated. Individual members should have real power to influence party policy. The policy development process should be ongoing; nimble enough to adapt in changing circumstances, but ordered enough to allow broad participation. It will be hard, but when we work together we can achieve great things.

We must be the party of ideas. Our ideas should be bold in nature, and national in scope. We should always rely on the best evidence available, rather than antiquated ideology. We should respect the jurisdiction of the provinces but not abdicate the role of the federal government. Finally, we must understand that not every problem has a national solution. Canada is a vast nation, we should embrace our diversity.

In January, there is an opportunity to remake the Liberal Party. Liberals from across Canada will come together for our 2012 Biennial Convention. Party policies will be discussed, the national (volunteer) executive will be elected, and constitutional amendments will be debated. Some of the goals I’ve outlined here may be achieved, and I will be working hard during the convention the help them win approval. Together, we can create a party that is open to all Canadians, a party that provides an avenue to create change. A party we can all believe in again.

I know many of you are cynical about politics. Have faith, my friends, change is coming.