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Monday, October 21, 2019

WE ARE ALL EQUAL: PARKDALE HAULS NDP BEFORE HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNAL -- Press Release

Below is the text of a press release related to the legal action being taken by Saron Gebresellassi and Parkdale community members against the NDP.

The Left Chapter has been following this story from the start in posts like The optics of the Parkdale NDP's federal nomination meeting are not goodTwo months later, let's have a look at the shameful Parkdale NDP nomination fiasco again and the recent Canada’s NDP Looks Like the US’s GOP: Voter Disenfranchisement in the Parkdale-High Park Riding.

WE ARE ALL EQUAL: PARKDALE HAULS NDP BEFORE HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNAL 

For Immediate Release

October 21, 2019

Human Rights Lawyer, 2019 NDP nomination candidate and 2018 Mayoral Candidate Saron Gebresellassi has filed a lawsuit against the NDP on behalf of new Canadians in the Toronto electoral district of Parkdale-High Park whose voting rights were violated at the federal NDP nomination election on June 23. The data reveals 365 new Canadians were excluded from the  Voting List. Virtually all identified as "visible minorities" and an astounding 100% of the Canadians excluded from the Voting List are working class people.

On election day, new Canadians who came to the Voting Building were not permitted to enter the voting room with the rest of the electorate. A separate verification room was set up in the kitchen by party officials. Nearly all were either denied ballots outright or sent to the kitchen for verification. These images travelled the world through social media and echoed widely-condemned U.S. voter segregation practices. The election sits in violation of Canadian human rights laws and international human rights norms.

"What happened on June 23 must not be not be forgotten," Gebresellassi said. "Canada is home to a robust human rights legislative regime. A full hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal is the only way to ensure that history does not repeat itself."

For more information please contact: Matt Fodor 647-774-6211


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