Now, after years of funding cuts by the Conservative government, the CBC has announced that it is selling off all of its property and real estate across Canada. From Halifax to Vancouver, not a single office space will remain under the ownership of the CBC. The Canadian Media Guild, CBC’s main union, is arguing that Canada’s public broadcaster is in danger of making “irreversible” cuts, threatening CBC’s role as a leading producer of original Canadian programming. [1] The bad news started in 2011, when the Conservatives announced that the CBC budget would be cut by $115 million. Since 2008, 2,800 jobs have been lost, and another 1,600 will be cut by 2016.[2] But there is still hope. The NDP, the Liberals, and the Green Party have all promised to restore funding to the CBC if elected. We’re calling on CBC management to cancel the sell-off, while we work to elect a new government that will affirm and respect CBC’s mandate. If we get 10,000 signatures, we will deliver this message to Marc Y. Lapierre, the CBC’s executive director of real estate services. Sources: [1] Media union raises alarm over CBC real estate sell off plans http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/media-union-raises-alarm-over-cbc-real-estate-sell-off-plans/article26506165/ [2] CBC Budget cut by 115 million over three years http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cbc-budget-cut-by-115m-over-3-years-1.1147096

The Globe and Mail editorial board, which endorsed Stephen Harper and the Conservatives in the last election, has now accused Harper of using his new spying law to create a “secret police force” in Canada.[1] The new law would give reckless and unnecessary powers to spy agencies and the RCMP, including the ability to detain people who haven’t committed any crime[2], with minimal oversight or democratic accountability. Yet, few politicians have been brave enough to reject Harper’s fear-mongering. There’s little doubt that many MPs, including many Conservatives, are concerned about the outrageous laws and lack of oversight - but before they stand up to Harper, they need to know that people across Canada will speak out too. So we’ve got to ask ourselves: are we the kind of people who give up our freedoms to fear-mongers, or are we the kind of people who will defend our democracy? Let’s reject fear. Sign the petition to stop the “secret police” bill and demand MPs start over with real oversight and proper safeguards. FAQ: What will the laws mean? -- The laws amount to a significant overreach into the lives of everyday Canadians. The laws will extend police force power to detain people on suspicion - including citizens who have committed no crime[2]. In taking measures to reduce a threat, the bill only instructs CSIS can’t kill or harm anyone, or “violate the sexual integrity of an individual.” [3]. Is everything else fair game? -- Last year it was found that the Committee tasked with overseeing CSIS’ work, the Security Intelligence Review Committee, has not only been encountering delays in receiving information -- they also suggested that the agency had “seriously mislead” the committee, and “failed to proactively disclose highly relevant information”. [4] Canada is the only Western democracy without a high-level legislative oversight body[5]. Our oversight model isn't working, and with these laws, it will only get worse. -- These laws risks criminalising speech, by making it illegal for anyone to advocate or “promote” terrorism. But here’s the unanswered question: how will this be interpreted in the real world?[6] Will this law be used to detain a small child, as happened recently in France?[7] What about a group of mum-and-dad protesters, who MPs might label “eco-terrorists”? Who gets to decide, and can we trust these people to make these decisions without proper oversight? Last year a public backlash forced the Conservatives to take out some of the worst parts of the “Fair Election Act.” We can do it again. Let’s stand up and tell our MPs to reject fear, stop this “secret police” bill, and start over. Will you join us? Sources: [1] Parliament must reject Harper’s secret policeman bill. Globe and Mail, February 1 2015. [2] Anti-terrorism powers: What's in the legislation? CBC News, January 30 2015. [3] Bill C-51 bars CSIS from committing 'bodily harm,' sexual violation, CBC, February 4 23015. [4] Tories' Anti-Terror Bill C-44 Extends CSIS Source Protection, Judicial Warrant Powers, Huffington Post, 27th October 2014. [5] Learn from CIA torture scandal, and let Parliament oversee Canada’s security services: Editorial, The Star, December 10 2014. [6] How Ottawa’s new terrorism act could chill free speech. The Globe and Mail, February 5, 2015. [7] 8-year-old detained by police for saying he supported Charlie Hebdo attackers. The Star, January 29 2015. ----- Lien à la pétition en français : http://you.leadnow.ca/fr/petitions/rejetons-la-police-secrete-de-harper-pour-defendre-nos-libertes-civiles

There are nearly 3 million Canadians who live abroad, proudly representing Canada and its values. The Canadian Diaspora are informal ambassadors for our great country and are often called on both formally and informally to represent Canada within their communities. In recent years however, Canadians abroad have had our rights as Canadians eroded and more recently our right to vote taken away by the current government. In early 2014 the courts restored those rights on the basis that Section Three of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms assures that All Canadians, regardless of where they live, have the right to vote. This petition will be forwarded to the Prime Minister and Minister of Immigration and Citizenship once we have achieved 1,000 Signatures.

After a two-year investigation, on October 31, 2014, the Ontario Court of Justice found former Conservative MP for Peterborough, Dean Del Mastro, guilty of violating the Canada Elections Act in 2008. He overspent his election limit and then falsified documentation to cover up his fraud.[1] But it doesn’t end there. In order to pay his legal fees, the Peterborough Conservative riding association hosted a $600/plate event on May 2, 2013, which raised close to $40,000. The 53 donors who gave money then walked away with almost $24,000 in tax credits.[2,3] That’s right -- Canadians subsidized Del Mastro’s legal defense. And even though he has officially stepped down in disgrace as MP for Peterborough, he still stands to collect his full parliamentary pension benefits. Once again, propped up by taxpayer dollars.[4] Del Mastro walks away with a salary for life. The least the party can do is repay taxpayers for his legal defence. Time and again, this Conservative government has tried to convince Canadians that Del Mastro is just one bad apple with poor judgement. But the bad apple never falls far from the rotting tree. From the in-and-out electoral fraud scandal to the still-unanswered questions about "Pierre Poutine" and the robocall election fraud scandal, we've seen a pattern of shady behaviour from Conservative operatives. No Canadian wants their elected officials to abuse the system and use their hard-earned tax dollars for personal gain. We want accountability and transparency. Please sign this petition calling on John Walsh, the President of the Conservative Party of Canada, to commit to paying back the $24,000 in taxpayer money the Conservatives used to fundraise for Dean Del Mastro’s legal defence. [1] Dean Del Mastro found guilty in election spending case (CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dean-del-mastro-found-guilty-in-election-spending-case-1.2818920 [2] Dean Del Mastro legal fees subsidized by taxpayers (CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dean-del-mastro-legal-fees-subsidized-by-taxpayers-1.2835381 [3] Tax deductions for supporting Del Mastro’s legal defence (The Peterborough Examiner) http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2014/11/18/tax-deductions-for-supporting-mps-legal-defence [4] Do the crime, keep your pension. Sweet deal there, DDM (National Post) http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/11/07/matt-gurney-do-the-crime-keep-your-pension-sweet-deal-there-ddm/

Les conservateurs de Harper essaient de forcer leur loi électorale de 242 pages au Parlement en minimisant les débats et sans témoignage d’experts, malgré des failles majeures qui auraient des conséquences de longue haleine sur notre démocracie. [1] Ça se ramène à ceci : au lieu de donner aux gens qui enquêtent la fraude électorale les pouvoirs de contraindre au témoignange - la capacité clef dont Élection Canada a besoin pour mener le scandale d’appels automatisés - cette nouvelle loi électorale rendrait le vote plus difficile pour les jeunes, les gens des premières nations et les gens à faible revenu. [2] Incroyablement, la malnommée « Loi sur l’intégrité des élections » rendrait même illégale la promotion du vote par Élections Canada. [3] La loi contient de bonnes mesures pour pallier à des appels automatisés frauduleux. Pourtant, elle impose de nouvelles lois d’identification de l’électeur qui rendraient illégal le vote en utilisant une carte d’identification d’électeur ou en demandant à un autre électeur de répondre de leur identité. [4] Des rapports indépendants ont confirmé que la fraude par des électeurs individuels est si rare qu’elle n’arrive pratiquement jamais. Pourtant, 120 000 canadiens ont voté par serment durant la dernière élection, et ce changement affecterait surtout les jeunes électeurs, les électeurs des premières nations et les électeurs à faible revenu. [5] Nous avons vu de stratégies semblables utilisés par les républicains aux États-Unis afin de priver les électeurs de voter qui sont les moins susceptibles de voter pour eux. 37 états ont mis en place des lois d’identification d’électeurs qui briment principalement les pauvres, les gens de couleur, ainsi que les femmes. [6] Veuillez signer cette pétition urgente pour empêcher les tactiques de suppression d’électeurs « à l’américaine » de devenir la loi du pays, et demander à ce que nos défenseurs électoraux aient les pouvoirs de contraindre les agents politiques à témoigner. Plus de 45 000 gens ont déjà signé nos pétitions (anglais+français) et nous organisons bientôt une remise majeure à la réunion du comité. Si les signatures atteint 50 000 nous organiserons une remise encore plus créative ciblant Pierre Poilièvre, le ministre conservateur responsable de ce projet de loi. --- Sources --- Lien direct au Projet de loi : http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Mode=1&DocId=6404810&Language=F Intégrité, vous dites? http://www.lapresse.ca/le-droit/opinions/editoriaux/pierre-bergeron/201402/06/01-4736491-integrite-vous-dites.php [1]Refonte de la loi électorale: Du pire et du meilleur http://www.lactualite.com/actualites/politique/refonte-de-la-loi-electorale-du-pire-et-du-meilleur/ [2]Des pouvoirs réduits pour le DGE du Canada http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2014/02/04/004-gouvernement-harper-depot-projet-loi-reforme-electorale.shtml [3] Partialité électorale http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/399416/partialite-electorale [4] La réforme de la loi électorale inclut un registre des appels automatisés http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/politique-canadienne/201402/04/01-4735576-la-reforme-de-la-loi-electorale-inclut-un-registre-des-appels-automatises.php [5] Examen de la conformité: Rapport final et recommendations - Examen de la conformité aux procédures d’inscription et de vote le jour du scrutin http://www.elections.ca/res/cons/comp/crfr/pdf/crfr_f.pdf [6] (Disponible en anglais seulement) Voter IDs Are Not the Problem: A Survey of Three State, American University Center for Democracy and Election Management http://www.american.edu/spa/cdem/upload/csae080109.pdf

Police revealed today that they are now in possession of the missing video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine, as well as photos of Mr Ford meeting with alleged drug dealers. Mr Ford has lied repeatedly to Torontonians about these incidents, over many months, claiming the video did not exist. His credibility is now shattered, he has betrayed the public trust, and he must now accept full responsibility for his actions. The only acceptable thing for Mr Ford to do is to immediately resign as Mayor of Toronto. Sources: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/10/31/rob_ford_crack_cocaine_scandal_police_photographed_mayor_in_multiple_meetings_with_alleged_drug_dealer.html http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/10/31/rob_ford_crack_cocaine_scandal_police_photographed_mayor_in_multiple_meetings_with_alleged_drug_dealer.html http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/10/31/fragile_toronto_city_hall_calm_in_jeopardy_with_release_of_document.html http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2013/10/31/mayor_rob_ford_has_nowhere_left_to_hide_editorial.html http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/doug-ford-denies-drug-dealing-rob-ford-says-crack-video-doesnt-exist/article12158667/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/26/rob-ford-crack-video_n_3340305.html

Canada's relationship with Brazil is in tatters after allegations that one of Canada's spy agencies, Communications Security Establishment Canada, spied on the Brazilian Mines and Energy Ministry.[1] The President of Brazil has demanded an explanation for the apparent industrial espionage. Our international standing has just taken another big hit that could threaten our trade relationships with one of the most important economies in the world. At the same time, the Harper Conservatives still can't account for $3.1 billion that was supposed to go to "anti-terror" initiatives. Last spring, Canada's Auditor General, Michael Ferguson, reported that the government can't explain what happened to a whopping $3.1 billion - and six months later we still have no idea where all of our public money went.[2] The solution seems simple - call on PM Harper to tell the Communications Security Establishment to stop spying on Brazil and start working to find the missing $3.1 billion. Sources: [1]Canada-Brazil spying allegations could be a "major setback" for business, professor says (Canadian Press) [2]Canada can't account $3.1 billion in anti-terror funding, AG finds (CBC) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-can-t-account-for-3-1b-in-anti-terror-funding-ag-finds-1.1303999