<div dir="ltr">Hi Stu,<div><br></div><div>Thanks for your kind words and for sending a thank you to Raj. <span class="" id=":101.1" tabindex="-1" style="">FVC</span>-<span class="" id=":101.2" tabindex="-1" style="">WR</span> will send a thank you letter next week and yours will be a welcome addition.</div><div><br></div><div>And, thank you for being there on Friday. Your conversation was an important and powerful contribution to the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>Kind regards,</div><div>Sharon</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Nov 12, 2017 at 10:00 AM, STUART CHANDLER <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:stuchandler43@gmail.com" target="_blank">stuchandler43@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div lang="en-US" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);line-height:initial"> <div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Thanks so much Sharon. </div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Thanks for all your efforts (and those of others) in gathering the signatures, organizing our visit with Raj, and sending out this uplifting report. You are amazing!</div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Your message has prompted me to decide to personally send a message to Raj, thanking him for giving us the time, and for listening to all of so respectfully. (As well as promising to present our petition in the House.)</div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Thanks again. </div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Best regards. </div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Stu Chandler. </div><div style="width:100%;font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div> <div style="font-size:initial;font-family:Calibri,'Slate Pro',sans-serif,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Sent from my BlackBerry 10 <wbr>smartphone on the Rogers <wbr>network.</div> <table width="100%" style="background-color:white;border-spacing:0px"> <tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size:initial;text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> <div style="border-style:solid none none;border-top-color:rgb(181,196,223);border-top-width:1pt;padding:3pt 0in 0in;font-family:Tahoma,'BB Alpha Sans','Slate Pro';font-size:10pt"> <div><b>From: </b>Sharon Sommerville</div><div><b>Sent: </b>Sunday, November 12, 2017 9:28 AM</div><div><b>To: </b><a href="mailto:fvc-wat-announce@listserv.thinkers.org" target="_blank">fvc-wat-announce@listserv.<wbr>thinkers.org</a>; <a href="mailto:fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org" target="_blank">fvc-wat-disc@listserv.<wbr>thinkers.org</a></div><div><b>Reply To: </b>FVC Waterloo Region Discussion</div><div><b>Subject: </b>[fvc-wat-disc] Our Meeting With Raj Saini</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div class="h5"><div style="border-style:solid none none;border-top-color:rgb(186,188,209);border-top-width:1pt;font-size:initial;text-align:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"></div><br><div id="m_-2667324299539417390_originalContent"><div dir="ltr">Hello <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.62">Fairvoting</span> Friends,<div><br></div><div>On Friday afternoon, a group of nine of us meet with Raj <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.63">Saini</span>, (L) MP for Kitchener Centre. Nine folks pretty much fills Raj's office! We presented Raj with this summer's petition which asked that his party keep their campaign promise and enact legislation to change our electoral system in time for 2019. There were well over 500 signatures on the petition.</div><div><br></div><div>Our message was strong, clear, passionate and respectful. Each of us had time to speak directly to Raj about why they care about electoral reform. Those comments were very powerful. </div><div><br></div><div>People spoke about the inevitability of electoral reform as our own experience and recent polls (In late Oct. Insights West found that 67% of <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.64">Cdns</span>. want the Liberal government to keep its promise on electoral reform, in early Oct. Angus Reid found the same) & the evidence that supports change, one of us emphasized that this is a legacy issue as his father before him established by <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.65">patriating</span> our Constitution and<span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> raised the question of what side of history do you and your party want to be on?, one of us asked him, "I know, that you know that PR is the way to go to establish a fair electoral system, what happen?". One of us asked, what can we do to help you support PR?. One wanted to finally, after 40 years of voting, to be represented by someone they voted for. </span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">We addressed Trudeau's statement that the decision to renege on the promise of electoral reform was his to make and he made it because they weren't going to be able to institute Alternative Vote (June 2017, Iqaluit, Nunavut). We raised the anti-democratic nature of that statement. Raj spoke about the threat of a referendum being the justification for not moving forward with electoral reform. We knew that because the Liberals were unwilling to negotiate with the <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.66">NDP</span> & Greens to bring about the <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.67">ERRE</span> recommendations, the <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.68">NDP</span> & Greens brokered a deal with the Conservatives. To bring in a majority report from the <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.69">ERRE</span> committee, the price was a referendum.</span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Raj promised to present our petition to the House and speak with the Minister of Democratic Institutions about our concerns. We thank Raj for taking those actions and for the respectful conversation we had on Friday.</span></div><div><br></div><div>There is interest in putting a group together to speak with <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.70">Bardish</span> <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.71">Chagger</span> (L) Waterloo. If anyone is interested in going to meet with Minister <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.72">Chagger</span>, please let me know and we will arrange a meeting. You can reach me at:</div><div><br></div><div> <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.73">sharonsommerville</span>@<a href="http://gmail.com" target="_blank">gmail.com</a> </div><div><br></div><div>A sincere thank you to the eight fair voting supporters who attended Friday's meeting. <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.74">Everyone's</span> passion, honesty and determination is inspiring. </div><div><br></div><div>Attached is a wonderful video of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come", just in case you need a little inspiration right now. And, you can see a photo of our team outside Raj's office at <span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.75">FVC</span>-<span id="m_-2667324299539417390gmail-:1nm.76">WR's</span> website. The link is also attached.</div><div><br></div><div>With thanks to all our supporters for your continued support as we work toward building a better Canada.</div><div><br></div><div>Best wishes,</div><div>Sharon</div><div>for FVC-WR</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr>v=wEBlaMOmKV4</a><br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.fairvotewrc.ca/reminding-raj-saini-about-electoral-reform/?t=1&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email&iid=3528e8591d67497a803a18f64ef78a18&uid=756912124761370624&nid=244+272699400" target="_blank">http://www.fairvotewrc.ca/<wbr>reminding-raj-saini-about-<wbr>electoral-reform/?t=1&cn=<wbr>ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&<wbr>refsrc=email&iid=<wbr>3528e8591d67497a803a18f64ef78a<wbr>18&uid=756912124761370624&nid=<wbr>244+272699400</a><br></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></span></div></div>
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