[fvc-wat-announce] FW: Where do they stand on PR? Consider getting involved in local nomination races

Tue Mar 10 17:07:26 EDT 2015

Hi Bobbi, 

I would definitely include Cambridge candidates where they stand regarding fair voting and proportional representation and e-mail the individuals listed and our FVC-WR announcement and discussion lists. I know you are a real supporter of PR and Fair Vote.

Talk  to you soon!

Shannon

From: Bobbi Stewart [mailto:bobbi.stewart at sympatico.ca] 
Sent: March-06-15 5:10 PM
To: 'Shannon Adshade'
Subject: FW: Where do they stand on PR? Consider getting involved in local nomination races

Hi Shannon,

Hope you’re doing well.  We haven’t talked in a week or two.

Should Cambridge not be included in this?  If so, please talk to Anita or I could send her an E-Mail.

Thanks.

Bobbi

J

From: Fair Vote Canada - Anita Nickerson [mailto:anita.nickerson at fairvote.ca] 
Sent: March-06-15 3:01 PM
To: Bobbi Stewart
Subject: Where do they stand on PR? Consider getting involved in local nomination races

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Dear Fair Vote Canada Waterloo Region supporter,Image removed by sender. timeline

With the federal election just around the corner, momentum is building for Make Every Vote Count 2015 <https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/secure.fairvote.ca/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=194318&qid=3587160> ! We need 170 YES votes after 2015 to implement a proportional system in Canada. This election is critical.

On December 3, 2014, every NDP, Green and Bloc MP, 3 Independents and 16/31 Liberal MPs voted YES to an NDP motion for PR. We are building the cross-partisan consensus needed to make 2015 the last unfair election.

To help us elect 170 pro-PR MPs, the first important step is to make sure as many strong PR supporters win the local party nominations as possible. We all know what happens when another commission/assembly/study recommends PR but most of the politicians personally oppose it or remain unconvinced. The vote that will decide this issue is coming after 2015 and it will likely be a free vote - we need to fill those chairs with pro-PR MPs.

In our local ridings of of Kitchener-Centre and Waterloo, party nomination races are now in various stages. Please consider joining the party of your choice now, and show up at the nomination meeting to vote to help us ensure that the candidates have the strongest convictions possible on making every vote count. 

The NDP party position on proportional representation is here <https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/secure.fairvote.ca/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=194326&qid=3587160> , the Liberal position here <https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/secure.fairvote.ca/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=194327&qid=3587160> , and the Green position here <https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/secure.fairvote.ca/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=194328&qid=3587160> . MP Stephen Woodworth and MP Peter Braid do not support PR, nor does the Conservative Party.

We asked the nomination candidates to give us their position on proportional representation - the principle that says if a party earns 39% of the vote they should get roughly 39% of the seats, and your vote should count. 

Find below statements from candidates in Kitchener-Centre and Waterloo. We hope you will read them and consider getting involved.

Check our local website - http://www.fairvotewrc.ca/ - for information about more candidates as we receive it.

Thank you for supporting Make Every Vote Count 2015. 

Sharon Sommerville, Coordinator, FVC Waterloo
Anita Nickerson, FVC Action Coordinator

Kitchener-Centre

NDP

No candidates have been announced yet. 

Liberal

The date for the nomination vote has not been set, but could be announced by the party very soon. You need to be a member for 14 days before the meeting to vote.

Raj Saini - www.rajsaini.ca <https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/secure.fairvote.ca/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=194329&qid=3587160> 

 Raj's statement on PR: 

"I strongly believe that we need to consult the public and take an evidence-based approach before we embark on this profound democratic change.

I am in full agreement with Fair Vote Canada that the current electoral system must be revised. It is unacceptable that the Harper government can fundamentally damage our domestic and foreign policies when their changes are opposed by the strong majority of Canadians, both on Election Day and later.

I fully support the Liberal Party policy resolution that calls for major reforms of our electoral system and the creation of an all-party commission after the next federal election that would be committed to reform. That reform could be proportional representation or preferential ballots, the practice currently used in Liberal Party nomination meetings. I personally pledge to support the recommendation of that commission as I am sure all Liberals will.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank organizations like Fair Vote Canada and its many volunteers for keeping the conversation on electoral reform active."

Best regards,

Raj Saini
Nomination Candidate in Kitchener Centre

Tony Maas - www.tonymaas.ca <https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/secure.fairvote.ca/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=194330&qid=3587160> 

Tony's statement on PR:

I would like to express my personal thanks to you and to Fair Vote Canada for reaching out regarding my position on proportional representation, and for the important work you are doing to raise awareness about and advocate for electoral reform in Canada.

I have long believed that Canada’s electoral system is out of date. It is troubling to me, as it is to a growing number of people, that 37% of the popular vote can return a majority government: this, in my view, is not a reflection of a modern democracy.

I am happy to share with you that I fully support moving to an electoral system based on proportional representation. I support the Liberal Party of Canada’s policy resolution on the issue, which indicates that, immediately following the next election an all-party process will be initiated to engage experts and citizens to report to Parliament with recommendations on voting system reform, including consideration of proportional representation.

I commit, personally, that if elected to Parliament I will advocate for electoral reform and a system of proportional representation both within the Liberal Party caucus and in Parliament. It is time for a federal government in Canada to show leadership and to take action on rebuilding trust in our democracy; that must include bringing our voting system into the 21st century. I believe that for us to flourish as a country – economically, social, culturally and environmentally – we need revitalize our democracy through electoral reform and proportional representation.

Please feel free to share my perspective, in whole or in part, with your organization’s supporters and others. And thanks again for the amazing work you are doing on this issue.

Sincerely,

Image removed by sender.

Tony Maas

Qualified Nomination Contestant for

Liberal Party of Canada in Kitchener Centre

tony at tonymaas.ca

@TonyMaas

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Green

Nicholas Wendler may be seeking the nomination. No date for the nomination meeting has been set yet.

Nicholas Wendler 

I do support Proportional Representation.  As a person with a physical disability which is a form of diversity with which I live, I feel everyone should count in Canada and therefore be represented in the House of Commons.  In order to speak to the various issues Canadians face, we need representation from the various voices in Canada to reach a full understanding of, and response to the issues.  If buildings are designed by people who go through life on their two legs instead of including people who have visual or hearing impairments or people who roll around via wheelchairs, you're going to have very different results between the two alternatives.  One would likely include a few more staircases.  Depending on needs, people of other forms of diversity may have varying designs due to the way they would use features of the building.  The best design is one that includes the input of all involved to achieve the best from each perspective.  

In terms of the electoral system, proportional representation allows each party to be represented as a reflection of how the voters cast their ballot.  The current system allows only the person with the most votes (and the party they represent) to gain voice in the House of Commons.  Issues addressed by the other parties and candidates in a given riding may gain votes, but if the votes for those issues and candidates are fewer than another, they do not have a voice unless the winning candidate also addresses those issues.  Elected members of Parliament need to work together to move toward a system of proportional representation and allow all voices to be heard and counted in future elections.

Waterloo

NDP

No candidates have been announced yet.

Liberal 

The nomination race is over and the candidate will be Bardish Chagger. (FVC will get the positions of the candidates before the 2015 election and post those on our national website - we missed asking the Waterloo Liberal nomination candidates their position while there was still time to sign up as a member and vote).

Green

Richard Walsh

Ever since my first federal election campaign (Fall 2000 when I ran in Waterloo for the New Democrats) I have explicitly supported democratic reform and proportional representation in the House of Commons. The Law Reform Commission of Canada (LRCC), which was rendered defunct early in the Harper government’s tenure, released a report on Canada’s electoral system prior to the 2004 election. When I ran in that election in Kitchener Centre as the NDP candidate, I supported the LRCC’s recommendation that Canada make the transition from our first-past-the-post (FPTP) system to the mixed method of proportional representation (MMPR), which is successfully employed in Germany and many other nations. I reiterated my position during the 2006 election, when I again was the NDP candidate in Kitchener Centre. During the last federal election, when I ran as an independent candidate in Waterloo, I made democratic reform generally and advocacy for MMPR specifically integral features of my campaign. (My 2011 platform is available at  <https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/secure.fairvote.ca/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=194331&qid=3587160> www.richardwalsh.ca .) My view then – and now – is that the Canadian parliamentary system is fundamentally undemocratic but its transformation through MMPR could salvage it. Alas, the need for MMPR is even more acute, because the Conservative government instituted changes to the election laws that make detection of voter fraud very unlikely. 

So, why do I support MMPR?  The FPTP system rewards political parties for focusing on particular regions and constituencies, while virtually ignoring other regions and constituencies, which distorts representation in the House; furthermore, FPTP diminishes the chances of smaller parties to win seats. In short, it is blatantly undemocratic. The “preferential ballot” system has the advantage of reaching across the extant (i.e., narrow) political spectrum but the decided disadvantage of diminishing the chances of smaller parties. Thus, it is unacceptable. MMPR, on the other hand, combines local and party representation. It likely is imperfect, but it’s the best option to renew and preserve electoral democracy across Canada

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