Hoskins Statement on Voter Intimidation

See more at The Globe:

Any honest discussion of multiculturalism must include an acknowledgement that some Canadians, including those who trace their origins to the Caribbean, Africa or even our diverse aboriginal communities, are routinely ignored because of perverted perceptions of their economic worth.

And that, in a nutshell, is the sad and uncomfortable truth about this election campaign: In the eyes of the major parties, some of us ethnics count more than others. Although most of us abhor that bigotry, we are still being manipulated to think along those lines.

For background, see Does the Vertical Mosaic Still Exist? Ethnicity and Income in Canada, 1991,

Race is now the fundamental basis of income inequality in Canada.

See the whole thing here, with links here.

Stephen Harper wants to scrap our health care system.

Baba Brinkman: “>Don’t Vote for Mean People.

Don’t vote for mean people – that’s the anthem
Please, think about your granddaughters and grandsons
Don’t vote for mean people – when the chance comes
Don’t let Steven Harper hold democracy for ransom

Don’t vote for mean people – that’s the anthem
Please, don’t encourage Harper’s little tantrum
Don’t vote for mean people – when the chance comes
On May 2nd, take the pledge, get your hands up!

Stephen Harper’s lost the plot
He’s not even conservative – those planes cost a lot!
And he lied to MPs about the actual cost
“How much is that gonna cost?” It’s gonna cost him his job
This man has gotta be stopped, he’s a menace
He should build a prison – for most of his back-benchers
What, does he think the courts are just gonna let them off
For election fraud? Hey Stephen, it’s the law
“Oh, it’s an administrative dispute,” don’t make me puke
Convicted felons say the same thing too
That’s like Richard Nixon saying “I am not a crook”
But in this case the “not” came from Bev Oda’s book
So what else are we supposed to overlook? The census?
The parliamentary suspensions that protected their interests?
This man is contemptuous, you better believe it
Canadians don’t need mean people to lead us!

Don’t vote for mean people – that’s the anthem
Please, think about your granddaughters and grandsons
Don’t vote for mean people – when the chance comes
Don’t let Steven Harper hold democracy for ransom

Don’t vote for mean people – that’s the anthem
Please, don’t encourage Harper’s little tantrum
Don’t vote for mean people – when the chance comes
On May 2nd, take the pledge, get your hands up!

Stephen Harper is mean, he’s Machiavellian
No wonder the opposition had a massive rebellion
A historical first, a government in contempt
And Michael did co-write the “responsibility to protect”
Policy at the UN, so he had to step in
‘Cause Harper was acting like a dictator again
And now, like Gaddafi, he fears “the coalition”
But smart Canadians know that it’s bull, so they won’t listen
There is no coalition, despite what Stephen tells you
He’s the one who meets with other leaders in hotel rooms
To try to form a runner-up coalition government
Somehow the word “hypocrite” just doesn’t cover it
Look, he lied to us about the price of his planes
And about the election spending laws he was trying to break
Plus now we’re a joke world-wide on climate change
It’s time for Stephen Harper to retire in shame

Don’t vote for mean people – that’s the anthem
Please, think about your granddaughters and grandsons
Don’t vote for mean people – when the chance comes
Don’t let Steven Harper hold democracy for ransom

Don’t vote for mean people – that’s the anthem
Please, don’t encourage Harper’s little tantrum
Don’t vote for mean people – when the chance comes
On May 2nd, take the pledge, get your hands up!

So after we dismiss the whole conservative team
Then who would the less-mean alternatives be?
Let’s see? The Bloc? “Let’s talk about Quebecers”
Let’s talk about not sounding like a broken record
Let’s talk about the Québécois as proud Canadians
Let’s Bloc Duceppe from the debates and let May in
National parties only in national debates
“But wait, what about the NDP, should they have some space?”
Yes, if we had a preferential ballot
They’d be a great second choice to give the left some balance
But as it stands, the split left is too costly
So an NDP vote is a mean vote by proxy
Unless your riding is heavily NDP-polling
Vote strategically, and Harper’s defeat will be consoling
Besides, we’ve got a Harvard foreign policy expert
For the next Prime Minister, and he’s ready to get to work

Don’t vote for mean people – that’s the anthem
Please, think about your granddaughters and grandsons
Don’t vote for mean people – when the chance comes
Don’t let Steven Harper hold democracy for ransom

Don’t vote for mean people – that’s the anthem
Please, don’t encourage Harper’s little tantrum
Don’t vote for mean people – when the chance comes
On May 2nd, take the pledge, get your hands up!

Also see the Vote Against Apathy website.

Michael Ignatieff spoke at Lester B. Pearson School on April 9, 2011.

Here are a couple clips: