View source for FairvoteWRC meeting 2017-04-12

== Meeting notes from the 2017 Spring Strategy Meeting ==
:'''Held''': Wednesday, 12 April 2017 at Donald and Maureen Fraser's house 
:'''Event notice''': [http://www.fairvotewrc.ca/event/fair-vote-waterloo-spring-strategy-meeting/?instance_id=5881 Spring Strategy meeting]
:'''Present''': Bob Jonkman, Donald Fraser, David Dirks, Evan Rosamond, Stuart Chandler, Jonathan Cassels, Mo Markham, David de Weerdt, Steve Dyck

* Agenda:
** Past Events
*** Nathan Cullen (Wednesday, 29 March 2017 at Kitchener Public Library)
*** Newpaper Letters to the Editor
*** FairvoteWRC Website Letters
** Media Strategy: David Dirks and Kathy Scott
** Summer Festivals
** [http://allvotescount.ca All Votes Count] with Steve Dyck and David de Weerdt
* Introductions: Steve Dyck and David de Weerdt introduced themselves.
* Past Events
** Nathan Cullen Tour
*** Jonathan Cassels summarized the evening at Kitchener Public Library (Wednesday, 29 March 2017).
*** He also summarized tour stops at Guelph and Toronto.
*** The intent is to introduce the ERRE report for Parliament to vote to concur on the report.
*** This needs at least 20 Liberal MPs to vote in favour for this vote to pass.
*** All opposition parties are on board, according to their house leaders (they will vote in favour to concur with the report).
*** We (members of Fair Vote Waterloo) should continue to approach Liberal MPs to vote in favour.
*** These votes (for concurrence) have historically not been whipped votes.
*** Can we use the attention given to the Conservative leadership race to engage people in this vote?
**** (the CPC leadership vote will be early May, the concurrence vote will be held late May).
*** Karina Gould has a letter about the ERRE report online: [http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=e&Mode=1&Parl=42&Ses=1&DocId=8853290 Government Response to ERRE Report]
*** Donald Fraser intends to write (Email) all Lib MPs (probably leave out Cabinet) encouraging them to vote with conscience.
* Media presence
** Jonathan Cassels relates information about his letter to Marwan Tabbara (Liberal, Kitchener South -- Hespeler), Mr. Tabbara's response received, and Jonathan's reply: [http://www.fairvotewrc.ca/there-is-a-responsible-path-forward-electoral-reform/ There is a responsible path forward — Electoral Reform]
** Letters to the Editor in all publications has slowed. 
*** January 2017: 2 letters + 1 media mention
*** February 2017: 8 letters + 7 media mentions
*** March 2017: 2 media mentions
** Jonathan Cassels will make an appearance in Ottawa as a representative of 130,000 Canadians (E-616 petition signatories)
*** He will try to get Ottawa media to respond and publish his appearance
*** Try to get local (Waterloo Region) media to prime this
*** Contact Jonathan Cassels at [mailto:cassels.jon@gmail.com cassels.jon@gmail.com] to help with publicity
** Media strategy
*** David Dirks and Kathy Scott have written a proposal.
*** Summary: Get other groups to ally with us, eg. [http://biwr.ca Basic Income Waterloo Region], local Environmental groups.
*** Connect with women's leadership organizations, eg. [http://hivewr.ca/ Hive Waterloo] and [https://uwaterloo.ca/women-in-engineering/ UofW Women in Engineering]
* Summer Festivals
** Sharon Sommerville has done most of the work in setting up summer festival appearances for FairvoteWRC
** Bob Jonkman will ask on the Discussion mailing list for assistance
** Festivals to target:
*** [http://www.waterlooregionmuseum.com/upcoming-events/event-details/?id=241&type=0&calendar=1&eventTime=0 EcoFest at Waterloo Region Museum] (Sat, 27 May 2017)
*** [http://tri-pride.ca/ TriPride] (Sat in June)
*** [https://www.kwmc.on.ca/festival-2017/ KW Multicultural Festival] (Sat-Sun, 24-25 June 2017)
*** [http://www.kultrun.ca/kultrun Kultrún] (Sat-Sun, 8-9 July 2017)
*** WR Nonviolence Day In The Park (Sun, 9 July 2017)
*** [http://www.waterloo.ca/en/living/open-streets.asp Open Streets Waterloo] (Sat or Sun, various weekends)
*** Afrofest (Sat in July)
*** [http://linkpicnicfestival.com/ LINK Picnic Festival] (Sat-Sun, 26-27 August 2017)
*** [http://www.wrlc.ca/calendar Waterloo Region Labour Council] Labour Day Picnic (Mon, 4 September 2017)
*** [http://www.cambridgeinternationalfestival.ca/ Cambridge International Festival] (Sat, 23 September 2017)
* Visits to MPs
** Kathy and Mo Markham visited Raj Saini (Liberal, Kitchener Centre)
*** non-favours didn't get a chance to speak.
** Another visit with Marwan Tabbara (Liberal, Kitchener South -- Hespeler)
*** Contact Mo Markham if you want to join.
** For letters to MPs, write "Personal and Confidential" on the envelope.
*** It is thought that P&C items must be opened personally by the MP.
*** But such letters may not get immediate attention.
* [http://allvotescount.ca/ All Votes Count] and [http://allvotescount.ca/ridings/democracyguelph/ Democracy Guelph]
** Arose from a meeting with Lloyd Longfield (Liberal, Guelph), who complained "It's always the same faces."
** Former MP Frank Valeriote (Liberal, Guelph) responsible for the "proportional" language in Liberal Party's policy.
** Democracy Guelph commissioned a poll from ''Strategic Directions'' firm.
*** Put poll on Lloyd Longfield's desk
*** 30 people came to Lloyd Longfield's office
*** David de Weerdt organized a meeting with "new faces".
** Lloyd Longfield: "If you can agree on a system that would be useful."
*** Must have community support.
*** No new Members of Parliament.
*** No riding boundary changes.
** In response, "Local PR" electoral system was designed by Byron Weber Becker.
*** LocalPR has support from Frank Valeriote, Lloyd Longfield.
** David de Weerdt gave us an explanation of LocalPR
*** Uses a ranked ballot.
*** Has STV in individual ridings
** LocalPR is a strategy to move Electoral Reform forward in government.
*** Getting a Liberal MP to champion this.
*** Long-term strategy must have cross-party support.
** It's better to approach MPs with a specific form of PR (LPR) so that many of their objections are already answered. This is not FVC's or
Leadnow's approach.
** Democracy Guelph's main activity is gathering signatures going door to door.
** Setting up a local "WR Democracy" group will help the All Votes Count effort.
*** This is not a Fair Vote initiative
*** but individuals can register at the [https://allvotescount.ca/ All Votes Count] web site; David de Weerdt will contact people to set up a local group.

Meeting notes taken by Bob Jonkman

[[Category: FairvoteWRC]]