[fvc-wat-announce] We are a Majority

Wed May 4 14:48:54 EDT 2011

Lead Now is a fabulous campaign to engage youth and all Canadians. They used
surveys of what people want and created a Declaration asking people to vote
sincerely based on how those values/issues were reflected in party platforms.
Problem is, when we do this, look what we get. Now they are saying "Our system
is broken". Let's hope they take it one step farther and say, "We need
proportional representation."

I have contacted them about this, but feel free to do so also. I think this
group could really be a partner for change.

Anita
----- Forwarded message from Leadnow <leadnow at leadnow.ca> -----
    Date: Wed, 4 May 2011 14:37:11 -0400 (EDT)
    From: Leadnow <leadnow at leadnow.ca>
Reply-To: Leadnow <leadnow at leadnow.ca>
 Subject: We are a Majority
      To: lanickerson at b2b2c.ca

Tell Prime Minister Harper: We will hold you accountable.

Dear Anita,

Thank you for what you have started. Throughout the election, you brought
Canadians into our political process, you helped inspire Canadians across the
country, and you were part of a historic shift of Canadaâ€™s political
landscape.

On Monday, a clear majority of Canadians voted for change. 9 million voters cast
their ballots for parties that share much in common. 9 million voted to
strengthen our democracy, protect our environment and increase our equality,
values shared by the Leadnow community.

Yet, because these parties split the vote in riding after riding, Prime Minister
Harper has gained near total control of our government with the support of less
than 6 million voters [1]. The only thing that can check his power is the
shared voices of Canadians like you.

Right now, we need to send Prime Minister Harper a clear message that although
he has a majority of seats, he does not enjoy majority support. In his
acceptance speech, he said â€œ...we must be the government of all Canadians,
including those who did not vote for us.â€ We expect him to follow through
with this commitment, and we will be here, growing stronger every day to hold
him to account to the agenda of a majority of voters:

http://leadnow.ca/majority

The Conservatives now have control of the House of Commons, with free reign to
appoint individuals to key posts and pass laws [2]. Public opinion is the most
powerful force to keep Prime Minister Harper in check. However big the
majority, no government that disregards public opinion will govern for long.

We need to build a movement that can bring Canadians together to hold Prime
Minister Harper accountable, build support to fix our democracy, and achieve
progress on the major challenges facing our country through all levels of
government.

Take the first step by telling Prime Minister Harper that his majority of seats
does not give him free reign over our country, and that together we will hold
him accountable:

http://leadnow.ca/majority

A new era of Canadian politics has begun. The election showed us that change is
possible and our politics can be full of surprises. We have the opportunity to
step up and begin to shape this new reality. We are deeply grateful to be
working with you.

With admiration and hope,
Jamie, Adam, Matthew, Tria, and Ryan on behalf of the Leadnow.ca team

P.S. - See how the opposition parties and Conservatives compare in relation to
the Leadnow community's priorities:
http://www.e-activist.com:80/ea-campaign/broadcast.response.do?ea.url.id=55213&ea.campaigner.email=mz8qp6lndDPklJqrM59S2x7WW6CiYlHl&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

[1] Vancouver Sun: Vote-splitting saw Tories claim new seats
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/decision-canada/Vote+splitting+Tories+claim+seats+analysis/4718894/story.html

[2] CBC:  Majority rules - just about everything
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/05/03/cv-election-weston-majority.html

Leadnow.ca is an independent, youth-led advocacy organization that helps
Canadians of all generations participate in their democracy.

Support the Leadnow.ca community! You can donate online at:
http://www.e-activist.com:80/ea-campaign/broadcast.response.do?ea.url.id=55216&ea.campaigner.email=mz8qp6lndDPklJqrM59S2x7WW6CiYlHl&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

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----- End forwarded message -----

Anita
Want to have a real say in democracy? Want to see a more democratic,
compassionate Canada? Help me make every vote count! www.fairvote.ca

-------------- next part --------------
Tell Prime Minister Harper: We will hold you accountable.

Dear Anita,

Thank you for what you have started. Throughout the election, you brought Canadians into our political process, you helped inspire Canadians across the country, and you were part of a historic shift of Canadaâ€™s political landscape.

On Monday, a clear majority of Canadians voted for change. 9 million voters cast their ballots for parties that share much in common. 9 million voted to strengthen our democracy, protect our environment and increase our equality, values shared by the Leadnow community.

Yet, because these parties split the vote in riding after riding, Prime Minister Harper has gained near total control of our government with the support of less than 6 million voters [1]. The only thing that can check his power is the shared voices of Canadians like you.

Right now, we need to send Prime Minister Harper a clear message that although he has a majority of seats, he does not enjoy majority support. In his acceptance speech, he said â€œ...we must be the government of all Canadians, including those who did not vote for us.â€ We expect him to follow through with this commitment, and we will be here, growing stronger every day to hold him to account to the agenda of a majority of voters:

http://leadnow.ca/majority

The Conservatives now have control of the House of Commons, with free reign to appoint individuals to key posts and pass laws [2]. Public opinion is the most powerful force to keep Prime Minister Harper in check. However big the majority, no government that disregards public opinion will govern for long.

We need to build a movement that can bring Canadians together to hold Prime Minister Harper accountable, build support to fix our democracy, and achieve progress on the major challenges facing our country through all levels of government.

Take the first step by telling Prime Minister Harper that his majority of seats does not give him free reign over our country, and that together we will hold him accountable:

http://leadnow.ca/majority

A new era of Canadian politics has begun. The election showed us that change is possible and our politics can be full of surprises. We have the opportunity to step up and begin to shape this new reality. We are deeply grateful to be working with you.

With admiration and hope,
Jamie, Adam, Matthew, Tria, and Ryan on behalf of the Leadnow.ca team

P.S. - See how the opposition parties and Conservatives compare in relation to the Leadnow community's priorities: http://www.e-activist.com:80/ea-campaign/broadcast.response.do?ea.url.id=55213&ea.campaigner.email=mz8qp6lndDPklJqrM59S2x7WW6CiYlHl&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

[1] Vancouver Sun: Vote-splitting saw Tories claim new seats
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/decision-canada/Vote+splitting+Tories+claim+seats+analysis/4718894/story.html

[2] CBC:  Majority rules - just about everything
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/05/03/cv-election-weston-majority.html

Leadnow.ca is an independent, youth-led advocacy organization that helps Canadians of all generations participate in their democracy.

Support the Leadnow.ca community! You can donate online at: http://www.e-activist.com:80/ea-campaign/broadcast.response.do?ea.url.id=55216&ea.campaigner.email=mz8qp6lndDPklJqrM59S2x7WW6CiYlHl&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

http://www.e-activist.com:80/ea-campaign/broadcast.response.do?ea.url.id=55217&ea.campaigner.email=mz8qp6lndDPklJqrM59S2x7WW6CiYlHl&ea_broadcast_target_id=0 | http://www.e-activist.com:80/ea-campaign/broadcast.response.do?ea.url.id=55218&ea.campaigner.email=mz8qp6lndDPklJqrM59S2x7WW6CiYlHl&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

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