Canada won't prosecute John Oliver for last night's anti-Harper segment
Source: Toronto Star
John Oliver trotted out fellow comedian Mike Myers dressed as a Mountie, a dancing beaver, and a moose getting a colonoscopy to advise Canadians not to re-elect Stephen Harper.
The TV comic acknowledged he was willingly breaking an election law forbidding foreigners from influencing Canadian elections that comes with a $5,000 fine and six-month jail term to share it.
... Canadian elections authorities explained Monday that there’s no law against foreigners expressing an opinion. They said the legal provision in question — section 331 of the Canada Elections Act — has been on the books since the 1920s and it doesn’t cover people stating their view.
“The expression of personal political views by Canadians or non-Canadians as to which parties or candidates they support is not an offence under the Act,” said Elections Canada spokesman John Enright. “This also applies to Mr. Oliver.”
Read more: http://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/2015/10/19/john-oliver-flouts-canadian-election-law-to-blast-harper.html
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