Canada

CANADA WHEREAS a labor union staged a strike at the Toronto Sun in June the government of Ontario province and the Toronto City Council stopped buying advertising space in the newspaper during the strike the governments are clearly using purchasing power to influence a labor dispute the report of the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing is being reviewed in the House of Commons the report proposes limiting the amount a third party can spend on advertising during a federal election to $1,000 the report proposes restrictions on publishing polls including the requirement of technical details and the prohibition of publication the day before elections or until polls close on election day The 48TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to protest the decision by the provincial government and city council as a blatant attempt to influence the media as an outrageous infringement on press freedom to resist the restrictions concerning advertising and polls as clear attempts to interfere with the free flow of information to urge the House of Commons to drop these decisions as obvious intrusions in the working of a free press.