Since the Ontario citizens assembly was announced on March 27, I have counted at least 30 articles on it. Most of the articles are short and derived from a common source such as a news wire. To keep this manageable, I’m only going to include articles that had substantial variation. To help you, I’m dividing articles into four categories: news (N), op-ed (O), editorial (E), and press release (PR). The most remarkable feature of these articles is that the opinion pieces (5 in total) were far more negative than positive. This is quite unlike California where the legislation has failed to move but the press was overwhelmingly positive. The gist of the hostility appears directed at the expected outcome of the citizens assembly process--proportional voting—rather than the citizens assembly process itself.
Note the official address of the assembly: http://www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca.
1. (N) Public Service Announcement - Are you on the Register of Electors?, Canada NewsWire, April 4, 2006.
2. (N) Ontario tackles election reform: Ridings will have citizens appointed, Sarnia Observer (Ontario), April 4, 2006; Pg. B1 , 180 words, Dan McCaffery.
3. (E) DEMOCRATIC RENEWAL, London Free Press (Ontario), April 2, 2006 Sunday, OPINION PAGES; Our view; Pg. 17, 392 words
4. (O) Proportional vote: any choice but stability, National Post's Financial Post & FP Investing (Canada), March 31, 2006, FINANCIAL POST: COMMENT; Pg. FP19, 918 words, Lawrence Solomon.
5. (N) Electoral update set, Sault Star (Sault Saint Marie Ontario), March 29, 2006, NEWS; Pg. A3, 252 words, Elaine Della-Mattia, The Sault Star
6. (N) Ont-Citizens-Assembly, Broadcast News (BN), March 28, 2006, QUEBEC-ONTARIO REGIONAL NEWS, 155 words, CP
7. (N) Elections Ontario to produce list in Citizens' Assembly selection process, Canada NewsWire, March 28, 2006, 405 words.
8. (O) An ill-advised leap in the dark; Ontario electoral reform panel will meet for almost a year and a loopy outcome is a possibility, The Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada), March 28, 2006, CANADA/WORLD; Pg. A13, 799 words, Ian Urquhart, Torstar News Service; Toronto Star
9. (E) Change isn't always better, Sudbury Star (Ontario), March 28, 2006 Tuesday, Final Edition, OPINION; Pg. A10, 604 words, The Sudbury Star
10. (E) McGuinty's risky electoral rethink, The Toronto Star, March 28, 2006, EDITORIAL; Pg. A22, 571 words
11. (N) Electoral reform proposal is a gamble, The Toronto Star, March 28, 2006 Tuesday, NEWS; Pg. A06, 796 words
12. (N) EYE ON DEMOCRACY; CITIZENS ASSEMBLY TO EXAMINE ONTARIO'S ELECTORAL SYSTEM, The Toronto Sun, March 28, 2006, NEWS; Pg. 13, 171 words, BY ANTONELLA ARTUSO
13. (N) Former judge to lead citizens' assembly reviewing Ontario's elections, The Canadian Press(CP), March 27, 2006, QUEBEC-ONTARIO REGIONAL NEWS, 482 words, GILLIAN LIVINGSTON, CP
14. (PR) McGuinty Government Moves Forward On Historic Electoral Reform Initiative; Chair Named To Lead Independent Examination Of Electoral System, Canada NewsWire, March 27, 2006, 1977 words.
15. (N) Ontario's vote process gets review, The Toronto Star, March 27, 2006, NEWS; Pg. A10, 194 words.
For a copy of my news digest this week, including this and other information, click here.
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