"Audio files, photos and transcripts leaked to the website http://Wikileaks.org has exposed the Ontario Progressive Conservative Campus Association (OPCCA) as hosting workshops dedicated to teaching Campus Conservatives how to take over student governments and defeat perceived enemies including the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) and the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).
These files and photos, gathered from a series of workshops occurring in early 2009 on campuses across Ontario, provide evidence that, with the apparent support of representatives from both the Ontario Progressive Conservatives and the Conservative Party of Canada, the OPCCA is attempting to covertly influence the political climate of Ontarios university campuses.
Presenters and participants are caught on tape advocating for the creation of front groups for the Conservative Party to masquerade as non-partisan grassroots organizations, influencing the political discourse on campus, stacking student elections with Party members, and conspiring to defeat non-profit organizations because of political differences, all with the intention of hiding their affiliations to the Party inthe process.
This apparent attempt by the Conservative to interfere with student governance and undermine non-profit organizations is ethically troubling. We urge students, journalists, and citizens alike to take action on this issue and keep our campuses free from influence-peddling by political parties so as to uphold a strong and healthy forum for democracy."
one of my friends sent the above info to me and it isn't surprising in the least.
(http://ryersonfreepress.ca/site/index.php?s=PCCA)
according to the ryerson free press, the leaked evidence "adds to the growing body of evidence that the Conservative Party has a strategy for interfering in campus student unions. In early 2002, the campus press first learned of a secret Millennium Leadership Fund that the party’s campus wing used to fund candidates in student union elections. Now it appears that strategy has evolved into a campaign to falsely obtain student union funding and destabilize student clubs with a social justice mandate."
i think people all too often make the mistake of thinking that the "right" isn't organized to the same extent as the "left" or progressive people are--that conservatives seem to be unaware of a lot of grassroots tactics or that conservative/right wing organizations are always carrying their banner as though they're incapable of not labelling themselves conservatives.
they aren't. for as long as their have been conservatives/right wing people they have been exploiting the tactics of the left and infiltrating and trying to undermine progressive organizations/groups.
according to the OPCCA website they are "a group of young and energetic students from across Ontario who share common beliefs about freedom and the need to limit the role of government in Ontario students' lives" who are a "big part of the Progressive Conserv
ative Party of Ontario, and [they] work hard to give students an opportunity to make their voices heard at Queens Park As Canadian students with conservative values, [they] believe in free markets, lower taxes, strong economic growth to stimulate job creation for new graduates, and the importance of freedom of speech on our campuses." ( OPCCA website)we all know what it means when conservatives talk about freedom of speech. it means their right to not have to be subjected to anyone elses freedom of speech.
we also know that "lower taxes and strong economic growth" means lower taxes for the rich and elite. and how many students in university or college actually have to pay taxes?
the "ideals" of these conservative students are so seedy, hypocritical, and low--which is actually pretty standard for conservatives and the conservative party so yeah, no surprise here.
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