UnpublishedTV—Election Law: Social media and politics

Watch TONIGHT here on UnpublishedOttawa.com at 8 pm Eastern, 5 pm Pacific

Imagine an election campaign full of ideas, thoughtful debate, some respectful to-and -fro, without going to the lowest common denominator. Perhaps, that would engage more voters to turn out at the polls.

Section 91 of the Canada Election Act aimed to take the misinformation and innuendo out of election campaigns. It could bring charges against a person for sharing misinformation, whether they know it’s false or not. The federal court in Ontario ruled Section 91 was unconstitutional because it infringed on a person’s right to free expression.

It’s an interesting dilemma as it appears that it would allow the spread of misinformation because it’s protected by the Charter. The federal government has said it will not appeal the decision. How it will impact the next election, whenever that is, is still to be seen.

Our Unpublished.vote poll question…  

Should Canadians be held responsible for what they say and transmit on social media?

The results so far:

• Yes = 40.7%
• No = 55.1%
• Unsure = 4.2%

If you haven’t voted yet, you can do so at: http://unpublished.vote//issue/1090/election-law-how-section-91-ruling-will-affect-the-next-election#.YGJAGNoeXks.lin