FairvoteWRC meeting 2017-02-26
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
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
- Theories:
- 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?
- 1: Pathways For Change
- 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
- Melanie Jolie is in town at St. John's Anglican Church (Duke St. and Weber St.) on 2 March 2017 at 6:00pm
-- Meeting notes taken by Bob Jonkman