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Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Winston: Time to reinstate election deposits in Canada
Once upon a time, in an era of greater rationality, candidates in federal elections in Canada had to put down a deposit of $1,000 as part of the nomination process or they would not be eligible to run. Article content The deposits were returned after the election, as long as candidates received a specified percentage of the total number of votes cast for the winner. Any candidates who did not meet the declared level of votes forfeited their deposits. Article content Article content Article content The stated purpose of the regulation was to cut down on frivolous candidates or parties with no realistic chance of winning a seat. Most countries around the world still require an election deposit, though details such as the precise amount and the proportion of votes required for it to be returned vary. Article content Not so in Canada, which stopped requiring deposits in federal elections eight years ago. Article content On Oct. 25, 2017, the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta (Szuchewycz v. Canada) ruled that the $1,000 deposit requirement for prospective candidates in federal elections infringed on the rights outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (section 3). Article content The reference was to the provision that 'every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of Commons or of a legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein.' It also noted that the decision was binding 'until it is stayed by a court or overturned on appeal.' Article content The cancellation of the deposit requirement for prospective candidates was said to 'ensure greater accessibility to the election process.' Possibly that's true for some candidates, but surely not for voters. Article content Instead, it has made it easy and free for the Longest Ballot Committee (LBC) to develop its ridiculous and treacherous goal of delighting in hampering elections by throwing in multiple unqualified, non-serious candidates, usually nominated by the same electors. Article content This tactic was used in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton in April's federal election, resulting in more than 90 candidates on the ballot. Article content While these joke candidates have no hope of winning and no intention of appearing in the riding for which they are nominated, they harm the election process and all serious candidates. Article content They also defy the goal of ensuring greater accessibility. A ballot that is a metre or two long is unmanageable, particularly for anyone who is visually impaired or physically handicapped.
Edmonton Journal
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Convicted murderer challenges B.C. prison's policy on Mein Kampf, other controversial books
Article content A convicted murderer who kept his victim's severed head in a bucket claims prison authorities in British Columbia are wrongfully withholding books he has acquired during his life sentence, including Hitler's 'Mein Kampf.' Mihaly Illes was convicted of first-degree murder in 2011 for the death of Javan Dowling, a drug-trade associate who was shot four times in the back of the head in April 2001 before his body was dismembered and disposed of in Squamish, B.C. Article content Article content Documents filed in court show the books include Machiavelli's 'The Prince on the Art of Power,' Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War,' Adolf Hitler's autobiography 'Mein Kampf,' 'The 48 Laws of Power,' 'The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,' 'The CIA as Organized Crime,' 'The Lie that Wouldn't Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,' as well as biographies of Alexander the Great, Hitler and Napoleon. Prison authorities put the books in storage and deemed them 'unauthorized materials' covered by a Correctional Service of Canada Commissioner's directive outlining offenders' access to 'expressive materials.' Inmates are generally allowed access to books and other materials, but limitations include 'material that supports genocide, promotes a theory of racial superiority or incites hatred toward any identifiable group or subpopulation,' the directive states. Article content Correctional Service of Canada policy and regulations also allow prison officials to limit offenders' access to materials if they believe they would contribute 'to an unhealthy working and living environment' or if they 'would jeopardize the security of the penitentiary or the safety of any person.' Illes' lawyer, Sam Williams, said in an email that his client is a Hungarian national of Jewish descent. Williams said he would try to contact his client for a statement, but there was no reply in time for publication. The Correctional Service of Canada and Kent Institution also did not provide comment for this story by press time. Illes' application says the prohibition on him possessing the books is unreasonable and procedurally unfair, and he wants 'an order requiring the Correctional Service of Canada to allow the applicant to maintain possession of the books.' Article content Illes successfully challenged his transfer from a medium-security prison in Alberta to a maximum security facility in Manitoba in 2016 in the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. The Alberta court ruling says he'd been placed in segregation in May 2015 'after being found in possession of possible narcotics, two stabbing weapons and numerous unauthorized items.' He was again placed in segregation in January 2016 'for his involvement in the institutional subculture and attempts to introduce contraband into the institution.' The court ruling says Illes is eligible for full parole in November 2026 and will be ordered deported back to Hungary upon release. The Correctional Service of Canada has announced numerous seizures of contraband and unauthorized items at prisons in B.C. and elsewhere this year, including 'unidentified pills and other drug paraphernalia, several homemade weapons, and tattoo paraphernalia' at Abbotsford's Matsqui Institution after a lockdown this month. Latest National Stories
