[fvc-wat-disc] [fvc-wat-announce] Roundtable on Democratic ReformPlanning Meeting

[Alida and George]

Stephen Fletcher with local Conservative MPs and a numbr of professors 
appear at a "roundtable on democratic reform."

Do you understand what a joke that had to have been ...as perceived by a 
Canadian audience watching an ever more controlled, unresponsive, 
unrepresentative government in action over the summer.

If the "conservatives of course oppose proportional representation,"  why in 
the devil do you lead off an invitation to discuss that very subject with an 
account of their staged event?

Get real please.

George
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <lanickerson at b2b2c.ca>
To: <fvc-wat-announce at listserv.thinkers.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2010 10:41 PM
Subject: [fvc-wat-disc] [fvc-wat-announce] Roundtable on Democratic 
ReformPlanning Meeting


> Hi Fair Vote supporters! After our two awesome, well attended events this 
> spring
> - and a summer of having booths at the Multicultural Festival, NonViolence
> Festival and Tribute to Woodstock - we're planning our first fall Fair
> Vote/CAPP sponsored event!
>
> As you may recall from a few weeks ago, Minister Stephen Fletcher 
> (Minister of
> Democratic Reform), with local Conservative MP's Braid and Woodworth, held 
> a by
> invitation only "roundtable on democratic reform" in Kitchener in August.
> Fletcher has been travelling Canada holding these "roundtables." A couple 
> of
> our local Fair Vote group were invited, plus quite a number of local
> professors. Regular voters were not allowed (no room). The Fair Vote 
> attendees
> reported that Fletcher mainly wanted to talk about the Conservative plan 
> to add
> more seats to the House of Commons for Ontario, BC, and Alberta. He also 
> wanted
> to get the professor's ideas about increasing voter turnout and took their
> contact information afterwards (he was not interested in getting anyone 
> else's
> contact info). The impression of the Fair Vote members that attended was 
> that
> other kinds of electoral reform were not on the agenda and were not going 
> to
> make it into the report - the Conservatives of course oppose proportional
> representation and it was dealt with as a "dead issue" to which they had 
> no
> comment.
>
> We have had a number of good ideas for our next CAPP/Fair Vote sponsored 
> event,
> and having our own "roundtable on democratic reform", perhaps with 
> speakers in
> which different ideas for democratic renewal/reform are presented and 
> discussed
> with public participation, is one of them. Other ideas are most welcome, 
> too!
>
> I hope you will consider joining our planning group to create this event 
> on
> Wednesday September 8, 7:30 PM, at the Queen Street Commons Cafe (downtown
> Kitchener across from the Working Centre).
>
> Your support and input to make this happen is most appreciated!
>
> Anita
>
>
>
>
>
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