Last week’s defeat of Motion M-86 was a disappointing moment for Canadians hoping the government would act on a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. With 218 MPs voting against the motion, it seems the majority of politicians still need to be convinced to let go of their own self-interest and leave the process of improving democracy up to the Canadian people.
With the vote now over, we wanted to thank all those who worked so hard trying to get this motion passed, including the thousands of FVC volunteers across Canada who worked on this campaign, the NDP, Green Party, BQ and Independent MPs who put the motion forward and worked hard to get support for the motion, the numerous Liberal MPs who bucked the party line to vote in line with their constituents’ wishes, the three Conservative MPs who voted in favour of the motion, and the allied organizations who joined this campaign.
We’d especially like to thank our team of Toronto volunteers who spent their weekends canvassing door-to-door collecting petition signatures, chatting with friends and neighbours about M-86, emailing or calling their MP, participating in our Phone Bank efforts or even meeting with and delivering petitions to their MP’s office. The progress we made on moving our local MPs to support M-86 is all thanks to your hard work and dedication to building a better democracy — thank you for making a difference!
What we’re asking volunteers to do now is to send thank you messages to the MPs who voted in favour, particularly the Liberal and Conservative MPs who went against cabinet.
Sending a quick voicemail or postcard will mean a lot to them and will hopefully secure their support for future electoral reform campaigns. When sending a message to your own MP, be sure to give your postal code so they know you’re a constituent!
See the list of Toronto area MPs who voted in favour below:
Coteau, Michael (Don Valley East), Liberal
Dabrusin, Julie (Toronto—Danforth), Liberal
Dzerowicz, Julie (Davenport), Liberal
Erskine-Smith, Nathaniel (Beaches—East York), Liberal
Jowhari, Majid (Richmond Hill), Liberal
Mendicino, Hon. Marco (Eglinton—Lawrence), Liberal
Sousa, Charles (Mississauga—Lakeshore), Liberal
Van Bynen, Tony (Newmarket—Aurora), Liberal
van Koeverden, Adam (Milton), Liberal
Zahid, Salma (Scarborough Centre), Liberal
Dong, Han (Don Valley North), Independent
Vuong, Kevin (Spadina—Fort York), Independent
Click here to search for your MP by postal code, or to find contact information for all MPs.
CBC News Video: Electoral reform didn’t happen. What it means for your vote
CBC News recently reported on why M-86 was defeated and interviewed a few young Canadians who want electoral reform to make their votes count.
Calling All Teachers & Education Workers:
Fair Vote Canada is looking for volunteers with teaching or classroom experience to help create age-appropriate teaching information about electoral systems and citizens’ assemblies for grades K-4 and 5 to 8!
Interested volunteers will work alongside curriculum writers from the Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) to develop this classroom resource package using popular education strategies to fit the information into different subjects such as reading, math, civics, history, and art.
Please reply to this email if you are interested in joining this exciting new project!
Can you help with our outreach initiatives?
At FVT, a key aspect of our mission is to raise awareness about Proportional Representation through establishing connections with diverse groups, communities, and organizations.
This often involves identifying opportunities for presentations at conferences, town halls or to executive committees. Following the initial meeting or presentation, we maintain ongoing communication and work towards cultivating relationships that may evolve into collaborations on special projects.
If contributing to this effort aligns with your interests, kindly inform us by replying to this email!
PR 101 Webinar: Thursday, February 15th
New to proportional representation, or want to know what’s wrong with winner-take-all systems?
Join Fair Vote Canada for PR 101: a half hour presentation followed by Q&A held on the 15th of every month.
To register for any of the upcoming sessions, please click here.
Democratic Reform in the News
Electoral reform continues to make the news across Canada and around the world. Here is a sample of what is being said:
- Liberal-Conservative voting coalition kills electoral reform motion
- What next for electoral reform in Canada in the wake of M-86?
- The Fight isn’t Over for the Charter Challenge for Fair Voting
- What Canada can learn from Ireland on citizen engagement to bolster democracy
Fair Vote Canada is looking for six passionate and energetic individuals to join its National Board of Directors!
If you are a current member of FVC and are interested in a governance role, then this opportunity is for you!