Gag Law (or dictatorship in full swing)

The Gordon Campbell government has enacted a new law that forbids third party advertising 88 days before an election.
The law limits election advertising by any person or organization that is not a political candidate, riding organization or party to $3,000 in a single electoral district and $150,000 overall.

So I say to Campbell "bring it on". We have the right to freedom of speech and expression in this country and NO I repeat NO ass of a law enacted by anyone to take away my freedoms will be obeyed.

"election advertising" means the transmission to the public by any means, during the period beginning 60 days before a campaign period and ending at the end of the campaign period, of an advertising message that promotes or opposes, directly or indirectly, a registered political party or the election of a candidate, including an advertising message that takes a position on an issue with which a registered political party or candidate is associated, but does not include

(a) the publication without charge of news, an editorial, an interview, a column, a letter, a debate, a speech or a commentary in a bona fide periodical publication or a radio or television program,

(b) the distribution of a book, or the promotion of the sale of a book, for no less than its commercial value, if the book was planned to be made available to the public regardless of whether there was to be an election,

(c) the transmission of a document directly by a person or a group to their members, employees or shareholders, or

(d) the transmission by an individual, on a non-commercial basis on the internet, or by telephone or text messaging, of his or her personal political views;

Third party advertising limits

235.1 (1) In respect of a general election conducted in accordance with section 23 (2) of the Constitution Act, an individual or organization other than a candidate, registered political party or registered constituency association must not sponsor, directly or indirectly, election advertising during the period beginning 60 days before the campaign period and ending at the end of the campaign period

(a) such that the total value of that election advertising is greater than

(i) $3 000 in relation to a single electoral district, and

(ii) $150 000 overall, or

(b) in combination with one or more individuals or organizations, or both, such that the total value of the election advertising sponsored by those individuals and organizations is greater than

(i) $3 000 in relation to a single electoral district, and

(ii) $150 000 overall.

(2) In respect of a general election conducted other than in accordance with section 23 (2) of the Constitution Act, the limits under subsection (1) do not apply to the period beginning 60 days before campaign period, but do apply to the campaign period.

(3) In respect of a by-election, the limits under subsection (1) do not apply to the period beginning 60 days before campaign period, but the limits under subsection (1) (a) (i) and (b) (i) do apply to the campaign period.

(4) Section 204 applies to adjust the amounts under this section.

So my rather broad interpretation of this attempt to remove freedom of speech in BC is that as a blogger writing on the net for a total of $52.71 does not meet the $3000 limit.

The other day I had an opportunity to watch the slanted news on Global. During the newscast they broke for one of their several commercials. The first one up depicted the Fast Cat Ferries with an overview of what happened. Within that ad and following the "fast cats" was a concoction of things that Global had been following over the years.

Now all this would not have been so bad if the ad in my view wasn't just a blatant attempt to discredit the NDP by starting the ad with the fast cats then following up with a bunch of quick photos and mumbo jumbo about the monuments built over the last eight years sucking our treasury dry and giving the premier another photo op. The least they could have done was remind the people about the mismanagement of our money by this government. Or maybe they couldn't because they didn't cover it properly in the first place, sweeping it under the rug The Fasr Ferries are fast becoming a drop in the bucket when you look at the added costs to everything in this province since 2001. Does convention center and the German ferries ring a bell?

Watch for more biased political ads disguised as what the news media has been doing for us. And if you see any notify the Chief Electoral Officer and for that matter the RCMP Commercial Crime Squad.