[NYTr] Canadians Fight for Communist Candidates Excluded from Debate

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Canadian Chamber of Commerce Wants to Exclude Communist Candidates

sent by Saleh Waziruddin via mart - Oct 1, 2007

Communists Excluded! Tell the Chamber of Commerce you think they should
include everyone in their candidate's debates!

Demand *your* democratic right to hear all the candidates and all the
positions in this election! Phone or e-mail Walter Sendzik, General
Manager, St. Catharines/Thorold Chamber of Commerce, to protest their
censoring of political debate and trampling on your democratic right to
hear!

Phone: 905-684-2361,
E-mail wsendzik at sctchamber.com

mart 
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Tell the Chamber of Commerce you think they should include everyone in
their candidate's debates

The St. Catharines/Thorold Chamber of Commerce is having a St.
Catharines candidate's debate on Thursday at 7pm at the Quality Hotel
and they've decided to exclude some parties for not being 'mainstream'
enough. In fact they've only included the Greens because they have
'improved' their platform. Let's let them know we want them to include
everyone and not be the judge of which political ideas are acceptable
and which are not.

Specifically they have decided to exclude the Communist Party even
though they were contacted before their board meeting. Some quotes from
their General Manager from a story the St. Catharines standard did:

http://stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=714709&auth=GRANT+LaFLECHE

Communist candidate excluded from chamber debate

"We established our format right after the writ was dropped, and we
only have two hours. So it is very important that we be able to put as
many questions to the mainline parties as we can," he said. "We checked
with Elections Ontario when the writ was dropped and at that time, the
Communist Party candidate was not listed."

"Some people will say 'Oh, but you are including the Green Party.' Well
they are mainline now," Sendzik said. "They have vastly improved their
platforms and policy ideas and they are running candidates in every
riding."

Some facts about what he has said -- The Communist Party was
pre-regerested sic?] with Elections Ontario and this was publicly listed
before the 10th

- The Communist Party candidate was nominated within the deadline

- The chamber was contacted as soon as the campaign got the details
about the event

- Both Cogeco TV and the Federation of University Women changed their
minds about excluding the Communist candidate. In the second case they
had less time than the Chamber has now.

Call Walter Sendzik, the General Manager, or e-mail him if you can't
call - 905-684-2361; wsendzik at sctchamber.com

Walter Sendzik, General Manager

Don't let the Chamber decide who is a worthy candidate and who is not,
ask them to include all candidates to keep the election and democratic
process fair.

Saleh
289 257 9187

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