Bittersweet Victory for SLAPPed Citizens Not Good Enough | Unpublished
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Unpublished Opinions

Green Party of Ontario's picture
Toronto, Ontario
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The Green Party of Ontario is independent yet is philosophically aligned with other green parties in Canada and around the world. The GPO is fiscally conservative, socially progressive and environmentally focused, and begins with the basic premise that all life on the planet is interconnected and that humans have a responsibility to protect and preserve the natural world.

The Green Party of Ontario (GPO) became an officially registered political party in 1983, and has been developing in size and sophistication since that time, expanding its membership and rising in the polls. We have increased the number of candidates in successive provincial elections. In the 1999 provincial election, we fielded 58 candidates, and became the fourth largest party in the province. In 2003, we fielded our first nearly-full slate, 102 out of 103 candidates, and received 2.8% of the vote. The 2007 election saw Ontario voters support Green Party values with unprecedented enthusiasm. The GPO, for the first time in history, had a full slate of candidates and garnered over 8% of the vote.

In the 2018 election GPO leader Mike Schreiner became the first Ontario Green to be elected to Queen's Park. The party now has two seats and polls between 4-8%. 

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Bittersweet Victory for SLAPPed Citizens Not Good Enough

October 28, 2015

“Removing retroactive protection is a slap in the face for those individuals facing financial ruin from SLAPP suits. This bill clearly says that SLAPP suits are wrong, and they waste time and resources in our courts. Why not apply that to existing suits designed to bully citizens into silence?”

(Queen’s Park): Citizens who speak out in the public interest to protect their communities should not be bullied into silence by those with deep pockets, says GPO leader Mike Schreiner.
 
That’s why the GPO is applauding today’s passage of Bill 52, the Protection of Public Participation Act, which bans SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suits.
 
“A healthy democracy protects citizen from being silenced by those with deep pockets,” says Schreiner. “Thank you to GPO supporters who helped push for anti-SLAPP legislation.”
 
But this victory is bittersweet: the final legislation is flawed. The Liberal government removed retroactive protection against SLAPP suits that was in the original legislation introduced in 2013.
 
The GPO is calling on the government to take steps to provide protections for those currently facing SLAPP suits.
 
“Removing retroactive protection is a slap in the face for those individuals facing financial ruin from SLAPP suits,” says Schreiner. “This bill clearly says that SLAPP suits are wrong, and they waste time and resources in our courts. Why not apply that to existing suits designed to bully citizens into silence?”
 
The GPO is on a mission to bring honesty, integrity and good public policy to Queen’s Park. 
 
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