Voting Rights Soon To Be Gone

May 13, 2008

CAMPBELL IS USING A FALSE EXCUSE TO STOP HOMELESS PEOPLE FROM VOTING

Elections B.C. made no such recommendation, say New Democrats

VICTORIA - The Campbell government is using a false excuse to bring in new election rules that will make it much harder for low-income British Columbians to vote, say the New Democrats.

"The Attorney General claims these changes result from recommendations made by Elections B.C., but no such recommendations exist,” said NDP homelessness critic David Chudnovsky.

"The Campbell government should immediately withdraw this callous legislation,” he said. “Or at least they should admit they weren't asked by anyone to make it harder for homeless people to vote and that it was their own arrogant idea."

Chudnovsky said Bill 42 brings in new identification rules that require voters to have an address, and even the Attorney General has acknowledged it will make it difficult for low income people to vote, and virtually impossible for homeless people.

Public outcry from advocates and service providers over the anti-democratic legislation has so far fallen on deaf ears as the Campbell government pushes it through without full debate in the legislature.

"The 2006 report from Elections B.C. recommends loosening restrictions on voting in some cases, not the other way around," said Chudnovsky. "To claim the report recommended the restrictions the B.C. Liberals put into legislation is blatantly false."

Chudnovsky noted the Campbell government contributed to the current homelessness crisis when they cut B.C.'s affordable housing program in 2002, shortly after forming government. In metro Vancouver alone, there has been a 364 per cent increase to people living on the street since 2002.

"No wonder the Campbell government doesn't want homeless people to vote," said Chudnovsky. "The Campbell Liberals are to blame for so many people living on the street."

Carole James, Chudnovsky and the New Democrats launched a province-wide consultation on homelessness in November of last year. For more information about the consultation, visit www.bchomelessness.blogspot.com

This notice comes as no suprise to me. The feds don't want us to vote either.

They introduced a bill a few months ago that will stop about a million people from doing what is apart our constitution of which thousands of people have paid the ulitimate price and lost their lives for fighting for this privilage.

The bill is C-31 which a small group of us concerned citizens have filed court documents against this country. The media was invited to attend a press release and chose only to send one rep for the whole province. Our papers were filed on the mainland and will used as soon as the fderal election is called.

As for the provincial gang most of them know that they stand a better chance of getting re-elected if they can take away our rights to do so. There is one thing that they have forgotten about and that is only 1/3 of the eligible population choose not to vote at all. This 1/3 group is not mainly homeless people. Most of them are fed up and chose not to vote at all. So what about the other 2/3s are they going to be effected by these changes? Yes because most of them will not have the right kind of id that has been approved by the government.