[fvc-wat-disc] Report from FVC AGM in Toronto

[Kevin Smith]

Hi folks:

Thought I'd give a bit of a report of what happened on the weekend with the
Fair Vote Canada conference.  Note this is just from my perspective, and I'm
sure Angela and Derek will have a lot to add.  Enjoy!

Kevin.

Early Morning
=============

I took the 7:30 bus from Kitchener, and got there about 9:15, while the
business meeting was still going on.  Ed Broadbent had just arrived, so I
said hi. The first item was supposed to be a panel with Ed and Rick
Anderson, Fireweed Democracy Project, former advisor to Preston Manning.
Well Rick the Conservative didn't show up, so we got to hear Ed make a
speech.  Hasn't lost any of his fire!

He's actually been advocating electoral reform even before he joined the
NDP, so he had a lot to say on the subject.

Education
=========

We need to educate journalists.  They are mainly speaking from their own
experience -- they don't do a lot of research, and don't have much of
anything to draw on, since they've never experienced other electoral
systems.  (Although they might claim to have been to Israel, as if that's
relevant to the proposed system here.)

Political representatives (MPs and MPPs) also need education.  Some have
gotten this by travelling to other countries, and studying their systems.
Their big problem was with the List MP(P)s, and how they fit into the scheme
of things.

All parties could have potentially benefitted from MMP in the past, and will
continue to in the future. Some federal examples:

- In 1980, Liberals had 25% support in the West, but only 2 seats west of
Ontario, which were in Manitoba.  Because of this, policies like the
National Energy Program (still ridiculed by the West today) didn't reflect
opinions of the whole country.

- The Progressive Conservatives and Reform/Alliance split the vote in
several elections (1993, 1997, 2000) until the "unite the right" campaign
was successful.  Even then, though, the support for the new Conservative
party was less than the PC and Alliance combined previously.

Exciting Announcements
======================

- the campaign has raised $87000 to date, including substantial pledges from
the conference participants, many of whom matched Linda Sheppard's donation
of $1000.

- Stompin' Tom Connors has pledged his support!

- There were offers to translate the campaign brochure into Hungarian,
Tamil, Greek, Serbian, Mandarin, German, Arabic, Russian, and Italian!  It
was already being written in English and French.

- A number of labour unions have jumped on board - OPSEU, OSSTF, ETFO, CEP,
CUPE, and some CAW (but not Buzz)

Messaging
=========

- we shouldn't be saying that the current system is broken, unfair, or
undemocratic.
- We're trying to modernize our democracy.
- People are often caught between voting for candidate and party.  The new
system will let them choose their favourite candidate AND their favourite
party.
- 58% of voters dislike phony majorities.
- more than 60% of voters support electoral reform AND proportional results!
- the support is multipartisan (even Stompin' Tom!)
- the new system is stable (since 1948, Germany has had the same number of
elections as Ontario, and they've had a MMP system)

Outreach Strategies
===================

- Important: chapters have access to the Fair Vote contact database for your
area
    - contact Linda Sheppard (sp?) at lwshep at gmail.com
- Recruit volunteers (contact and engage quickly)
    - don't worry about them signing up for Fair Vote yet
    - you can approach them on Oct. 11 :-)
- Raise $ - pass the hat at meetings and events
- Distribute literature
    - OCA literature is FREE and Derek has LOTS
    - doctor's offices
    - library system
    - public events
- Speaker's Bureau
    - create demand, and supply it
    - citizen's assembly are a resource, but can't really take sides
    - other countries can send people for free (e.g. Holland, Germany)
    - volunteers
    - key people in the community who are onside
- Media
    - identify (develop personal relationships)
    - educate
    - invite
- Lobbying
    - individuals
    - organizations
    - communities of interest
- Go to All-candidates' meetings
    - hand out literature
    - be first to mic, and ask candidates where they stand
- Still figuring out partisan optics for Fair Vote campaign
    - encourage parties to distribute OCA material (we have LOTS)

Fundraising
===========

- until July 1st, Fair Vote Canada can fundraise for this all they want.
- after that, Elections Ontario rules kick in -- no spending limits,
    but there will be reporting rules announced soon
- take a fishbowl to events for business cards
- look for in-kind donations
- companies listed on Elections Ontario site MAY be interested
- don't give your card -- take theirs, and promise to call them
- phone book less effective, but good if you've got idle volunteers
- stay simple, clear, concrete and on message
- NO side will be about divide and conquer (probably confuse as well)
- with fundraising, NO doesn't always mean NO
    - could be you're asking for wrong thing, or at the wrong time
    - listen to potential donor -- they will tell you how they can help
- make a plan; take the time, and follow through with it!
- Union locals whose parent orgs are on board should be easy sell
- can't take any money from political parties themselves

Other Notes of Interest
=======================

- Student contact is Mark Greenan <mark.greenan at fairvote.ca>
    - has contacts with universities (UW and Laurier)
    - says that student federations CFS and OUSA are on board

- First task is to "grow the army"
    - get the word out with media and info meetings
    - OCA members can play an educational role early on (but not take sides)
- Peter from Ottawa <peter.black at sympatico.ca>
    - has spreadsheets and other cool organizing stuff
    (like checklists for various things)
- Campaign website will be http://www.voteyesformmp.ca
    - it's rather "under construction" right now
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