FairvoteWRC meeting 2017-02-26

2017 Campaign Tactics meeting

Held: Sunday, 26 February 2017 at St. John's Kitchen, 97 Victoria Ave. South

Event Notice: Fair Vote Waterloo Campaign Tactics meeting

Present: Sharon Sommerville, David Dirks, Rob Steel, Bob Jonkman, Donald Fraser, Cathe Campbell, Stuart Chandler, Cathy Scott, Ron Bowman

• Introductions
• Opening Comments
  • Sharon reads a quote from David Suzuki in iPolitics.ca
  • Two documents:
    • One theoretical: Indivisible
    • One practical: Pathways For Change
  • Objectives
    • Keep Electoral Reform top-of-mind
    • Not persuading Justin Trudeau
    • Differentiate Liberals and NDP
      • (ironclad guarantee of MMPR from NDP - more of a tactic than a strategy)
    • Punish every Liberal member in Parliament for breaking promise
    • Keep Electoral Reform alive and provide public education
    • Think of Electoral Reform as a pilot project (eg. Ted Kennedy and Medicare)
    • Put pressure on politicians
    • Recognize that Electoral Reform is an issue for many people, eg. Public Education
• Discussion (Action Items)
  • 1: Pathways For Change
    • Theories:
      • Unlocking policy making process
      • Why some policies go forward and some don't
      • What works and what doesn't
      • What is successful advocacy
    • Policy Windows
      • Policies need to be seen as technically feasible
      • Policy makers must be interested
    • Electoral Reform no longer meets the needs of the Liberal Party (a majority government)
    • How a problem is defined makes a difference in the attention it gets
      • Redefine the issue to suit the politicians
      • Redefine the issue to suit the electorate
      • Redefine the issue in the public mind
    • "Liberals don't care about you"
    • Issue definition is important
      • to Politicians?
      • to the Public?
      • to the Community?
    • Make friends within the media
      • Change the message -- we can't buy enough media coverage to counter Liberal media budget
    • "Find anger, work on that."
    • Campaigning on fear?
      • Liberals control the message
    • Contact the media every time we do something good
    • Build relationships with politicians
      • and other community groups
    • Keep balance:
      • Groups are rational
      • Individuals are radical
    • Message: Strategic voting doesn't have to be true
    • In all contacts be respectful and polite (important!)
    • Make linkages: What's in it for me? "Electoral Reform fixes everything"
    • Trump appeal based on fear and anger (effective!)
    • Need to connect on an emotional level
    • Every policy issue: "The solution is Proportional Representation"
    • Hope Spring (counselling for cancer patients) is closed!
      • Example of a social issue
      • Our letters to politicians can address that issue
      • This issue can be addressed by more balanced represenation
    • Step up our letter writing campaign to include broader issues
    • Reach out to other communities (KWPeace?)
    • Call in to call-in shows
      • Phone the editors, producers of shows about Electoral Reform
    • How to find the MPs' schedules?
      • Use an online tool like Change Detection
    • Buy a new event banner (ask Laurel Russwurm to design?)
    • List all issues affected by Proportional Representation on banner
      • Income inequality
      • Fossil fuel divestment
      • etc.
    • Print business cards with issues affected by PR
    • Greatest link between effective government and Proportional Representation
      • "Best decisions are made by groups that are the most diverse"
      • This can win over a conservative thinker
    • Cathe wrote 50 Christmas cards to Bloc, NDP, Conservatives: "Please support Electoral Reform"
      • Response: 1 return card from Thomas Mulcair (NDP)
    • Liberals selling memberships
      • Swamping the vote for policy issues
  • 2: Indivisible: Core Strategies for Influencing Politicians
    • More than calls and petitions
    • Focus on local organizations
    • Work with MPs and Senators
      • Senator names to go on our list of contacts
    • Record all meetings, post online
    • Prepare questions ahead of time
    • Also publicize a lack of response
    • Post on Twitter, post on FairvoteWRC Web Site
    • Be polite but persistent
      • "Please answer my question"
    • Avoid fracturing:
      • Don't wander off and do your own thing
      • eg. designing your own STV or MMP voting system
    • Focus on core strategy
    • Get back to ERRE report
    • Show up at meetings and events; demand action
    • Coordinate blanket calls
    • Speak to Consituency Assistants
      • this redirects office staff from their priorities
    • "Will you commit to Proportional Representation?"
    • Liberals campaigned to give backbenchers more power
      • eg. Raj Saini (Liberal, Kitchener Centre) and Marwan Tabbara (Liberal, Kitchener South -- Hespeler)
    • Tie Electoral Reform to the Liberals' own issues
    • "Why did you lie to us about Electoral Reform?"
    • MPs don't want to be seen as not working for their constituents
    • Voters are angry at the Liberals for backing away
    • Liberals are already in re-election mode
    • Re-iterate the illigitimacy of First-Past-The-Post to politicians
      • "Working hard for you"
      • "Share your values"
      • This unnerves them; good technique
    • Make the "Concrete ask":
      • eg. "Will you host a Town Hall meeting on Electoral Reform?"
    • (David Dirks engaged us in a role-playing Q&A session)
    • Liberals have no credibility if they put Electoral Reform on their platform in 2019
      • There was never any will to implement Electoral Reform
    • "Targeted riding campaign"
      • Unseat 15 Liberals to achieve a minority government
      • But probably not in Waterloo Region
    • Attacking Liberals is justified by their broken promise
    • There is cooperation between NDP and Greens
    • Would Canadians recognize the lurch between majorities?
• Other notes
  • Melanie Jolie is in town at St. John's Anglican Church (Duke St. and Weber St.) on 2 March 2017 at 6:00pm
    • This is a Liberal event, open to the public
    • Should we hold a protest? Ask on the Discussion mailing list
    • The Liberals will find out our plans anyway
      • We shouldn't try to do this by stealth
      • We'll post it on the Announcement mailing list and the Web site
      • Be specific: Date, time, duration.
  • Privatizating campaign funding through citizens and not corporations or unions
    • How to curb private funding, corruption?
  • Sharon Sommerville interviewed by Colin Butler of CBC Radio on 14 February 2017

-- Meeting notes taken by Bob Jonkman