Sign up to visit your Conservative MP about voting for a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform

Visit your Conservative MP about a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform! SIGN UP

In the next few months, MPs will be voting in Parliament on Motion M-86, for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

A Citizens’ Assembly is an independent, non-partisan body. Citizens are selected like a jury to reflect the diversity of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

A National Citizens’ Assembly would give citizens a powerful, informed voice, and could kick start a crucial conversation between the parties about electoral reform.

Conservative MPs have an important role to play in whether this motion succeeds or fails.

Personal visits from constituents are the most effective way to influence and persuade MPs to vote yes.

Can you visit your Conservative MP?

Sign up to visit your Conservative MP about a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform

I’ll be frank: I know it’s a lot easier just to shoot off an email to your Conservative MP’s office asking them to support the motion.

Email appeals alone from Fair Vote Canada supporters just won’t cut it with Conservatives. 

We all know that Liberal and Conservative Party leaders and many party strategists want to keep a system that lets their party win 100% of the power with 39% of the vote.

But after eight years of Liberal rule, the ground is shifting.

In the past two years, notable Conservatives have come out in favour of considering proportional representation, including:

• Sean Speer, former Economic Advisor to Stephen Harper
• Michelle Rempel Garner, Conservative MP and former Cabinet Minister
• Erin O’Toole, former Conservative party leader and former MP for Durham

They join long-standing supporters of proportional representation such as former Conservative Senator Hugh Segal and Stephen Harper’s former Chief of Staff, Guy Giorno.

A growing number of Conservatives believe that it’s better for democracy to make sure our electoral system includes the voices of all Canadians—rather than a system that shuts voters out.

There are MPs within the Conservative Party caucus who are interested in exploring how the alternatives could work in Canada. That’s exactly what a non-partisan Citizens’ Assembly is all about.

A Citizens’ Assembly would look closely at all the options, including keeping first-past-the post. The Assembly will make recommendations that Canadians can trust are based on evidence, not on partisan self-interest.

You don’t need to be an expert on electoral reform or citizens’ assemblies to visit your MP! And it doesn’t matter which parties you support.

The important thing is that you’re a constituent who cares.

The time to visit MPs is NOW, while MPs are in their home ridings for the summer. If we wait until later this fall to talk to MPs, the Party could shut down the conversation by giving all their MPs a top-down party line.

When you sign up to visit your MP:

• We’ll give you the main points to cover, and we’ll mail you basic materials to give to your MP at the visit.We’ll support you every step of the way, and we’ll answer all your questions! Over the years we’ve had many people visit MPs who have never done this before, and they do just great.
• We’ll connect you by email with any other people in your riding who also signed up to visit your MP. Depending on where you live, there may be a group of people, or it may just be you.
• Once an appointment time is booked with the MP, we’ll send out an invitation to other Fair Vote Canada supporters in your riding, to see if other constituents want to join you.

To make these visits happen, each visit needs a leader. That’s the person who makes the appointment with the MP. The visit won’t happen without someone to take on this important role.

We also need constituents to attend and show support. As many as possible!  🙂

Whatever you’re comfortable doing, please sign up.

Chances to make a leap forward for electoral reform are rare. The last vote in the House of Commons on Electoral Reform was over six years ago.

It’s because of your hard work that we have this opportunity now! It’s up to us to give it everything we have to win.

The crises facing Canada today, from housing to health care to climate change, are bigger than any single party can solve in a four-year term.

It’s time for a system that gives everyone a voice, and encourages our parties to work together for the common good.

Please sign up to visit your Conservative MP today.

Sincerely,

Anita Nickerson
Executive Director, Fair Vote Canada

P.S. If you missed the webinar with expert Dennis Pilon on how other countries changed their voting systems, you can watch it here.

P.P.S. Did you get this email and you don’t live in a riding with a Conservative MP? We will be putting out a call to visit MPs from other parties soon!