October 11, 2015

8 ways to get informed and involved in Canada’s 2015 federal election

Men spray-painting Vote all over wall

The last nine years of Harper rule have seen a strategic dismantling of environmental protections, an increase in surveillance, muzzling of scientists, laws designed to limit our ability to protest our government, and contempt for democracy itself. (It doesn’t end there: see The Tyee’s compilation of “70 Harper government assaults on democracy and the law”.)

It’s time to fix that in what may be the most important election Canada has ever seen. Let’s not just get Canada back — let’s make it better (as my friend Faisal Moola says). I believe the most important thing we Canadians can do is get out and vote en masse. With 61.1% of eligible voters casting a ballot in 2011 and the Conservatives winning a majority with the support of only about a quarter of eligible voters, we have major room for improvement. Less than 40% of 18- to 24-year-olds voted. If you have friends, neighbours or family who don’t vote, especially if they’re between 18 and 30, please encourage them (gently, non-judgementally, and non-partisanally) to vote on October 19th. Let’s vote in a government that can restore our Canadian pride!

Here are some great organizations and some sources of data to help you get out the vote, get informed and help others find reliable information.

VoteBC.ca

Victoria, BC-based Dogwood Initiative has a great resource to help British Columbians identify candidates in their riding who share their values. Candidates in all ridings were sent a ten-question survey around issues like oil pipeline expansion, Bill C-51 and the current state of democracy in our country. Responses from candidates who obliged are online. VoteBC.ca also includes current polling data.

Want to get involved? Calling Dogwood supporters is key to getting voters to the polls. You can help out by joining a phone banking party or canvassing. (I’ve been volunteering with Dogwood Initiative since summer 2014.)

VoteTogether.ca

“Leadnow’s Vote Together campaign connects the millions of people who want change on October 19th with the information and tools they need to defeat the Harper Conservatives.” The Vote Together website offers at-a-glance information about party policies on issues Leadnow’s community cares about, including democratic reform, a fair economy and a clean environment. Enter your postal code to see how your candidates are performing in local polls. Don’t forget to sign the pledge to Vote Together.

Want to get involved? There are plenty of ways to volunteer until the election.

OurDigitalFuture.ca

OpenMedia.ca created a crowd-sourced platform for digital rights in Canada, covering privacy, access and free expression. Pledge to vote for “affordable access, free expression, and a surveillance-free Internet” and encourage your candidate to sign up to be a pro-Internet candidate. OpenMedia’s policies, informed by real Canadians, is also outlined on the website.

Promote the Vote

Promote the Vote encourages and empowers Canadians to increase voter turnout and engagement by having conversations with their friends and family about voting. Promote the Vote offers resources and engagement leadership workshops on dialogue. Check out the website for upcoming events in the Metro Vancouver area. (Workshops ahead of the election have now finished.)

Join Promote the Vote and Reel Causes for a screening of The Price We Pay on October 14th in Vancouver. By donation, with proceeds to Promote the Vote (non-partisan, not-for-profit).

David Suzuki Foundation’s election pledge

Tell our federal leaders you’re voting for bold leadership on the environment and climate change. Take the pledge.

Vote Compass

Vote Compass shows you how your views align with those of the candidates running for election.” It is “an educational tool developed by political scientists designed to help you explore how you fit in Canada’s political landscape.” I found the results of this one really interesting when I used it before the previous election. (May require some patience loading.)

Polling data

threehundredeight.com polling data is visualized on the poll tracker at CBC.ca.

Make a social media profile photo

Use this easy tool at VoteNation.ca to let your friends know you’re voting.

Are you registered to vote? Make sure you are: visit Elections Canada’s website or call 1-800-463-6868.

April 25, 2011

Joining 80% of BC residents, three North Vancouver candidates support oil tanker ban on BC’s north coast

Burrard Inlet(Photo by Gord McKenna via Flickr)

Every summer I swim in the waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. My favourite spot is Cates Park (Whey-ah-Wichen, Faces the Wind), which is nearly opposite a Chevron oil refinery that is responsible for a slow leak discovered a year ago. This refinery is east of the Second Narrows bridge which, as the name suggests, spans a narrow crossing — and it’s a shallow one as well. The number, size and capacity of oil tankers passing through here is growing, with no decline in sight as our thirst for oil continues to increase. This worries me because it leaves us ever more vulnerable to a spill that would ruin a coastline inhabited by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation long before this place had a name, and enjoyed by Metro Vancouver residents and tourists alike. The beaches and waters are home to starfish, crabs, jellyfish, geoducks and many varieties of birds. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot some other fish, a seal or even a whale. Eagles are frequent visitors.

We can’t afford an oil spill in Burrard Inlet, nor can we afford one anywhere along our beautiful coast. The consequences of the Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska are still felt there. A spill of that magnitude hasn’t yet happened to us — neither in BC nor in the Saint Lawrence — and on Monday, May 2 we have the opportunity to uphold the decision the Liberals made in 1972 by voting for candidates who support this ban.

Continue reading Joining 80% of BC residents, three North Vancouver candidates support oil tanker ban on BC’s north coast »

April 21, 2011

Join the Earth Day Parade and then get your vote on

Friday, April 22nd isn’t just Good Friday. It’s also Earth Day, and in celebration, Vancouver’s youth have organized a parade and festival! I’ll be there with my bicycle and as many dorky treehugging pins as I can dig up. (Find me if you’d like a Vote Environment button with Suzuki’s retro face on it!)

Earth Day Parade posterCoincidentally, this is the 41st Earth Day and, on May 2nd, Canada has its 41st federal election. Before you head to the polls as early as this weekend — because you ARE voting (or if you’re a minor, telling your parents to vote), right? — think about how important it is to you to have clean air, clean water and healthy food to eat. Think about what kind of world today’s youth will be facing in the future if climate change isn’t mitigated today, if oil spills continue, and if our precious salmon fail to thrive. If you’re a youth yourself, what do you want the world to look like? We can take many actions ourselves, but Canadians understand the government wields the biggest power to make sweeping changes in the areas where consumers have little influence. And the Canadian government needs to know that we care about our environment.

Continue reading Join the Earth Day Parade and then get your vote on »