PRESS RELEASE: NDP rejection of candidate Not Just Their Loss
Fox Creek, AB - July 10th
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On July 2 the CBC reported that Paul Manly had been blocked from seeking the NDP’s nomination in Nanaimo-Ladysmith. This is the most recent in a string of issues with federal party nominations among the ‘big three’ parties in Parliament. The reason given was that the NDP feared Paul Manly was going to make Mideast politics an election issue. An assertion that Mr. Manly denies. The Pirate Party of Canada feels that even if that were true it would be insufficient and the blocking of Paul Manly is not purely an internal NDP issue.
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Currently, party leaders in Canada have many formal and informal ways to influence the nomination of candidates. These abilities has been abused in the past to go over the heads of local associations and drop in star candidates or tip the odds in favour of the nominee the party leadership would like to have. While tempting to think of this as a purely internal matter for a party it must be remembered that there are only five parties that have been able to win seats in Parliament since 2004. With so few parties competitive in elections it becomes essential that there be vigorous competition for the party nominations as to allow diverse political opinions to be shared. It is exactly for this reason the Pirate Party both allows candidates to voice their own stance on issues outside the platform and gives candidates considerable leeway on party policy itself.
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“It has been a disturbing trend by parties in recent years to seek ideological conformity rather than diverse belief. Dissent and minority opinions have become something to be attacked rather than celebrated. I fear for the future of our democracy if this continues”, says James Wilson, Leader of the Pirate Party of Canada. “I don’t know much about Mr. Manly’s political beliefs but if he is committed to working for the voters of Nanaimo-Ladysmith, and all Canadians, I invite him to contact the Pirate Party about the possibility of becoming our candidate in 2015″.
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The Pirate Party of Canada is a federal political party focused on thoughtful information policy reform, genuine democracy, civil liberties, and the freedom of the Internet. You can find out more online at www.pirateparty.ca .
Comments
2 comments for PRESS RELEASE: NDP rejection of candidate Not Just Their Loss
Interesting!
Great comments
Ideological conforming that the 3 parties do will eventually hurt them and maybe wake up the sleepy voters of this country
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