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ASHFIELD, The Hon. Keith, P.C. 

Dear Mr. Ashfield

I have the privilege of living in the Nashwaaksis area of the Fredericton riding which you represent in the House of Commons.   I enjoy the many advantages that accrue simply by being a citizen of Canada, the most fundamental of which is our truly democratic system of government.  Our democracy is more than a privilege, more than a right, even more than a set of Constitutional principles.  It is who we are as Canadians.  The recent news that an organized campaign of  misdirection, of "robocalls",  by which many Canadians were intentionally sent to the wrong polling station depriving some of the opportunity  to vote in the last federal election, the "robocall" campaign,   is the most serious threat to Canadian democracy that I have ever seen.

I hope that you, as our Fredericton Member of Parliament, and  a member of the current government are taking seriously this threat to Canadian democracy. This is not about a particular political party or the political fortunes of individual political candidates.  This is about our democratic values and ultimately about whether we choose to live as free people. 

I ask that you:

1)  take all necessary steps to ensure that our federal government holds a judicial inquiry into the "robocall" campaign, 

2)  examine any potential harm to Canadian democracy that has result from the "robocall" campaign, 

3)  take steps, including passing appropriate legislation to quash future such threats to Canadian democracy;

4)  to punish all those responsible for the recently reported "robocall" campaign.

Respectfully,

Harold L Doherty

Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3A 1T1

cc. Citizens of Canada

A major Swedish study offers uncomfortable news to the DSM-5 team trying to pretend there is no relationship between autism and the intellectual disability which affects the vast majority of those with classic Autistic Disorder. It will also be disconcerting  to those who devoutly believe that autism is 100% genetic. The study finds that children born of immigrants to Sweden had an increased risk of developing autism with intellectual disability. The study authors also conclude that autism is governed by environmental as well as genetic factors: