[fvc-wat-announce] A small sign of change & hope

[Sharon Sommerville]

Hello Fair Vote Friends,

At times working toward establishing a fair voting system seems
overwhelming & some times even futile given the strength of our entrenched
system but yesterday I had a chance encounter with 3 women which brought me
some hope.  I would like to share that story with you as hope is a good
thing to pass around.

Yesterday I took some clothes to the Maycourt Shop in Kitchener.  The
Maycourt Shop is a consignment store for women's clothing which is run by
volunteers and the profits go to charitable organizations.  There were two
volunteers and a customer at the counter where you drop off clothes. We
chatted as we conducted business and one of the volunteers asked me what my
button was about.  Yeah!  An opportunity to talk electoral reform with
three nice ladies whom we normally wouldn't encounter.  I gave my 1.5
minute overview of FVC & the need for electoral reform. They asked some
questions & we had a great conversation with some good laughs.  The women
were hopping angry about a number of issues which they recognized
wouldn't exist if we had a fair voting system.  One lady took my email
address to look into electoral reform little more.  As we said good-bye the
women thanked me for doing this important work and wished me good luck.

Three random, middle aged, middle class ladies who never having given
electoral reform any previous thought were engaged with the idea of
proportional representation and saw the relevance in their lives.  Perhaps
we are reaching the tipping point where greater numbers of people are
recognizing that a more equitable & democratic Canada starts with our
electoral system. It was a good lesson to wear a FVC button, talk to
everybody who will listen and keep building the momentum 1, 2 or 3 people
at a time. Really it's up to us to make this change happen. If you would
like a button and don't have one, please let me know & we will get one to
you or come to our planning meeting next Thursday, the 25th at the Misty
Mountain Coffee Bar, 33 Queen St. S., in Kitchener at 7pm and pick one up,
we have lots!  It would be great to see you at the meeting.

Wishing you well,
Sharon
Co-Chair
FVC- K/W
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