Canadians for DEMOCRACY Unite !!!!!!

.

Remember Sgt. Pepper ????

.

It seems like it was years and years ago that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was embroiled in the contraversy that swirled around the excessive use of pepper sprayer during peaceful protests at the University of British Columbia (UBC) during an APEC conference.

,

I remember the cries of outrage that rightly came following these events. Prime Minister Chretien was accused of running roughshod over people's democratic rights and the right to express one's self ... It was not a pretty chapter in Canadian History.

,

Yet a quick perusal of today's headlines would find the current Conservative Government being
accused of running rough shod over people's democratic rights and the freedom of the press ...

.

In a court ruling the Government was TOLD that they couldn't act unilaterally in regards to the Canadian Wheat Board and the Conservative's desire to remove Barley sales from that vital Canadian institution ... and tonight we read that the RCMP, acting on orders from the PMO, bodily removed reporters from a hotel in Charlottetown to prevent them from accessing Conservative MPs meeting as a caucus there. (click here for the full story)

,

It might just be me - but both of these stories cause me concern about the safety of our democratic processes ...

,

Although, given past history I suppose the reporters can count their blessings that they weren't hit with pepper spray ...

,

The bottom line though is the need for Canadians to send a clear message to Mr Harper to remind him that we live in a democracy, and we don't want our government running roughshod over any of us any more, whether they are a prairie farmer, or an urbane reporter ... We have rights and we're not giving them up !!!!