WAP Congratulates Jack Layton

Thank you, Mr. Layton, for having the will to change your mind about debates that include Ms. May.

I think between the two of you, there is a chance that we will get the Canada we need.
We love the Greens for having the environment and electoral reform as their major platforms.
We admire the NDP because they stand to defend our fundamental needs.

The only way to save our people from the coming north American bankruptcy crisis is to form a partnership with those who have demonstrated that they care the most for what we stand for: a non-military, environmentally safe, socially responsible and democratic, sovereign nation, with transparent good governance as its core mandate.

Esther Matharu
Women's Alliance Party

Democracy in Canada Eroded

Canada watches its democracy erode

• Ramesh Thakur From:
  The Australian March 30, 2011 12:00AM 33 comments

ON Friday, the minority Stephen Harper government fell on a confidence motion by a 156-145 vote. Speaking to the motion, Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff attacked the government for disrespecting Canadian democracy and treating parliament with contempt.

The myth of Canada being dull is captured in the apocryphal story that in an international competition for the most boring news headline of the year, the winning entry was "Yet another worthy Canadian initiative".

Edmund Burke noted that all that was necessary for evil to triumph was for good men to do nothing. Canadians are certainly good and worthy folks, but they suffer an excess of civil obedience, politeness and lack of civic rage that could be harnessed to combat political atrophy. At a time when Arabs risk life and limb for political freedoms, Canadians seem largely apathetic about the erosion of their democracy.

Please read the rest of this important article here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/canada-watches-its-democracy-erode/story-e6frg6ux-1226030310248

Response to Green Party Snub

Dear Party Leaders,

Thank you for helping us make up our minds on which party to vote for in the coming elections!

For the sake of long term democracy, you should be putting Canadians in front of your party politics and bring in electoral reform as a priority so that no votes are worthless. The present system is so flawed that it leaves millions of people with either their votes trashed or so disenfranchised that they have resigned themselves to watching in disgust at the circus dog fight.

The Green Party understands what democracy is as they have electoral reform as one of their main platforms. I don't see any of you fighting for our rights to have each vote count. You have collectively refused to have the Green party leader join the debates. What are you afraid of? So what if every little party has its say? Is that not democracy? Democracy is intimately connected with public discussion and interactive reasoning, writes Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen.

When will you understand this?

Without electoral reform, the Canada you want will never be the Canada we want. This last piece of evidence shows that, unfortunately, you still have a long way to go to attain the credibility that begets respect and trust.

Esther Matharu
Women's Alliance Party

Catch 22 Campaign Launched Today

The Catch 22 Harper Conservatives campaign is a grassroots effort to help defeat the Conservative government in the next election. The aim is to challenge people who don't normally vote to go and vote especially, the young and the older generation.

In Ottawa, the group is concentrating on two communities where Conservatives won the ridings: Ottawa-Orleans and Ottawa-West Nepean. The first meeting was held today to discuss how to engage those who do not vote to go and vote.




The question of endorsement was raised, as well as the necessity to do strategic voting. Not everyone agreed to this idea but one thing did unite everyone: the urgency of ensuring that Stephen Harper does not, in any way, win a majority in the next elections.

For those who are interested in doing their bit of civic engagement in a positive, non-partisan and grassroots manner, you can go to Catch 22 website and join: http://catch22campaign.ca/