The Great Canadian Flip Off...an article by James Bender
Elections Canada Website : Information - Who's running - How to Vote...Everything you need to know...
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Thank for your support...It's Official... Jim Bender is the Oxford Rep for The Marijuana Party of Canada
It was tough, right down to the wire, the electoral office was not very helpful about verifying your signatures, but through our persistence and your support, we got in right @ the last minute. Read more on this story
Let's Roll
On December 23, 2003, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Parliament has the constitutional right to prohibit cannabis possession using the criminal law. Therefore, it is no longer relevant to use the courts to try and change this country’s unjust laws. From now on, cannabis activists will have to get their act together on the POLITICAL scene.
Election vandalism a 'sign' of the times, say candidates
By Bruce Urquhart - POLITICS REPORTER
WOODSTOCK - Marijuana Party candidate Jim Bender would like people to stop tearing down his campaign signs.
Describing the campaign vandalism as "undemocratic," Bender suspects the disappearing signs might be a little more than simple mischief.
"In certain areas, I think I'm being targeted," he said. "They've removed everything."
On Monday, a friend of the candidate actually watched someone systematically remove every Marijuana Party sign along Mill Street, said Bender.
Someone even stole the sign from Bender's own front lawn.
"They actually drove up to my house, jumped out, grabbed the sign, jumped in their car and fled," he said. "The election has become kind of a fractious thing. There's so many candidates in this riding, which makes it difficult."
Bender urged the vandals to clean up after tearing down, describing the campaign-sign litter as "disrespect for the community."
"If you're going to rip it down, at least put it in the garbage," he said.
Under the Canada Elections Act, it is an offence to remove or deface campaign signs. If charged, an offender can face up to a $1,000 fine or three months in prison or both.
But these campaign-sign woes aren't unique to the Marijuana Party.
Irene Tietz, Oxford's Green Party hopeful, has noticed a few vanishing campaign signs.
"There will be areas where there are groupings (of signs) and Greens are disappearing," she said.
The candidate said the vanishing signs might be a symptom of her party's environmental platform.
"In Tillsonburg, there are a lot of lawn manicure issues," said Tietz. "I think people are running scared in terms of our environmental stance.
"Or maybe people just need signs and they don't know where to get them."
Oxford's Christian Heritage Party candidate considers her disappearing signs as an unfortunate, but unavoidable, part of the federal campaign.
"We are also experiencing some disappearing and vandalized signs," said Leslie Bartley, Oxford's Christian Heritage Party candidate. "It's endemic during an election.
"If people are caught in the act, it would be good to see them charged for violating election rules. Meanwhile, we just carry on and replace and fix them."
Bartley's sentiments were echoed by the three major-party campaigns - disappearing signs are just a part of the campaign.
"During the early part of the campaign, we definitely had some spray painted signs and some signs that went missing," said Glen Jameson, the campaign organization manager for Liberal candidate Murray Coulter, "but it's absolutely expected."
Jameson said the Oxford Liberals usually expect to find their signs missing after a weekend.
"Signs tend to go missing or get broken on Friday and Saturday nights," he said
For an In Depth Look @ the Platform...
Visit the Marijuana Party of Canada Web Site