Best wishes to the new leader of the NDP

On behalf of the Edmonton-Leduc NDP riding association, I would like to wish the newly elected Leader of the Official Opposition, Thomas Mulcair, success in bringing the party's work within and outside the House of Commons to a new level as Canada's social democrats confront Stephen Harper's austerity budget, disregard for the democratic process, and disrespect for the rights of workers.

Artem Medvedev
President, Edmonton-Leduc NDP riding association

Voter Suppression

Posted by David Nash

Voter suppression is not just done with telephone calls. 

Another major factor in it is negative advertising.  Nobody denies the CPC used negative advertising. And anyone who thinks that character assassination directed at Ignatieff did not have the effect of voter suppression has to be very naive.  (By the way, I am not a Liberal.)

Half-truths and lies are part of it too.  If an opponent says something correct and you simply deny it, you introduce doubts into people's minds.  Del Mastro gave us a perfect example of this when he denied the existence of the Edmonton East Constituency on Evan Solomon's CBC TV show.  It made this Liberal and NDP co-panelists look as if they had not done their homework.  Thank you, Evan, for correcting Del Mastro on air, although I think he should have been scolded for this kind of gamesmanship.

So my point is this:  We may never be able to prove that telephone calls swung the election to Harper and resulted in his majority.  However this kind of approach is part and parcel of the spectrum of activities and approaches that are known to be used in the dirtiest of political situations.  We know the CPC were using some of the associated techniques openly.  Since the covert illegal telephone calls, part of the same spectrum, were certainly used in 2011 election, there is little reason to suppose that the CPC was not using them, rather than some massive body of mavericks.  Don't forget, most times they are used they are done covertly, behind a smoke screen of deniability.

The Harper Government is not likely to do anything that will in the long run hurt its own interests, even if they ultimately bring in “measures” to “deal with” the “problem,” so it is up to the majority of people in this country to take the matter into there own hands hands. I profoundly hope that we can do so with intelligence, civility and persistence.

Happy holidays!

On behalf of the Edmonton-Leduc federal NDP riding association, please allow me to wish you and yours all the best this holiday season. The support of community members as yourself is what keeps our organization going forward, and all of us really appreciate your feedback, advice and help. We look forward to working together with you for a better future for Canada.

Artem Medvedev
President
Edmonton-Leduc NDP

PUBLIC ROUND TABLE ON INCOME INEQUALITY: IS THERE A REMEDY?

Saturday February 11th from 2 to 4 pm at the Riverbend Library (Rabbit Hill Road and Terwillegar Drive)

Income inequality is a very old issue, but the problem is that it is only becoming worse. Since the 1970s, the top 10% of Canadians by personal wealth at least doubled their share of all wealth. In the same period, the income of most Canadians has remained practically the same, or even shrunk, leading to an increase in the level of poverty in our communities: 10% of all Canadians today live in poverty. This is not simply a statistic. This is the everyday reality for millions of people in our country. Do you have anything to say about this? Would you like to hear other people’s opinions on ways Canada can resolve the gap between the wealthy few and the struggling many? Please join us for our first Round Table of 2012!


Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/127077167403320/

SW Edmonton New Democrats launch a newsletter

The first issue of the newly-launched Edmonton-Leduc federal NDP newsletter is now available online. We look forward to your comments and suggestions!

Edmonton-Leduc NDP calling for volunteers and support

In order to realize the Edmonton-Leduc social democrats plan for an uninterrupted campaign that does not end after the election, we are searching for volunteers for a number of projects:

• Online communication tools (Facebook, Twitter et al.). Time commitment: low
• Fundraising and membership committee. Time commitment: medium
• Events committee. Time commitment: medium
• Outreach committee. Time commitment: medium to high

If you are interested in helping out in any of the above, please email at yegleducndp@gmail.com

As always, we would appreciate your support to make the planned events and newsletter a reality and to help the Edmonton-Leduc NDP prepare for the next election way in advance. You can donate online or send a cheque written out to "Edmonton-Leduc NDP" to 14719-51 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6H 5E6.

Thank you in advance for your support!

On behalf of the riding association executive,

Artem Medvedev

Riding Executive Meeting Held Oct. 24th

Stay tuned for some information on the decisions made at the riding executive meeting tonight. We are looking for volunteers to get a number of projects going, so if you have the time and enthusiasm, please email us at yegleducndp@gmail.com