FairvoteWRC meeting 2017-04-12

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Meeting notes from the 2017 Spring Strategy Meeting

Held: Wednesday, 12 April 2017 at Donald and Maureen Fraser's house
Event notice: 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
    • 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: 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: 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 cassels.jon@gmail.com to help with publicity
    • Media strategy
  • Summer Festivals
  • 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.
  • All Votes Count and 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 All Votes Count web site; David de Weerdt will contact people to set up a local group.

Meeting notes taken by Bob Jonkman

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