The pressure to act like Harper

Details: Published on Tuesday, 07 June 2016 11:30; Written by editor

On Thursday, Prime Minister Trudeau’s government announced that they would do something Harper would have never done. The Liberals decided to support an NDP proposal to give the opposition parties a majority on the voting reform committee - now, at least two parties will need to cooperate to pick the best voting system for Canada.

Then Trudeau said something really amazing. Trudeau said his government was going to collaborate better with the opposition parties because “he feared [his government was] behaving too much like the previous government under Stephen Harper.”1

They deserve a lot of credit for changing course. And, so do you.

Trudeau’s words are a reminder that once elected, every Prime Minister faces the temptation to do things Harper did - centralize power, pursue partisan self-interest, and cater to powerful economic elites who put intense pressure on any government.

To do the right thing, every Prime Minister - even one elected by millions of people voting for change, even one who has already done a lot of good things - needs a constructive opposition in Parliament, and a movement of people supporting progress and pushing for lasting change.

People-power gets results. That’s why we’re so grateful to the 13,000 people who joined an emergency action calling on the government to back MP Nathan Cullen’s motion to make the voting reform committee fair in the crucial hours before the government changed their position to support the proposal.2 That’s why we’re so grateful to everyone who is donating to keep this community strong after Harper’s defeat. That’s why we’re so excited to keep working together in this once-in-a-generation moment to change the rules that will shape our society for decades to come.

After the last election, thousands of you answered Leadnow community surveys and voted for a “support and push” approach to the new government: support the good policies of this new government, and push for better progress on issues that matter.

In the same survey, thousands of you voted for Leadnow’s top campaign priorities going into 2016: electoral reform, clean energy and climate change, and the TPP emerged as the top three. Other issues, like C-51, tax evasion, and environmental protections all showed up strong as well in the community surveys.3

Those three top-priority campaigns are all huge issues that will set the most important rules for our democracy, economy, and environment for decades to come. To succeed on any of those three issues we’re going to need people-powered movements that can push for change in the face of intense pressure from the forces that benefit from the status quo.

You’re building one of those movements. There’s so much more to say about the highlights of your actions on the different campaigns over the last few months and the wins on multiple issues, but this note is already too long.

Over the next couple of weeks you’ll get an update on all the campaigns, information about a new platform you can use to start your own campaign, and a new survey asking for your guidance for the rest of the year to come.

In the meantime: please accept our thanks. Every time you take action you make all our voices stronger. Every time you donate you help this whole community make a difference together.

Thanks for all you do.

With hope and respect,
Jamie, Lyndsay, Kate, Amara, Brittany, Jolan and Rodrigo on behalf of the Leadnow.ca team

Sources

Liberals acting too much like Harper, Trudeau says after electoral reform concession http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberals-acting-too-much-like-harper-trudeau-says-after-electoral-reform-concession-1.2928083
MPs: making the voting reform committee fair http://www.leadnow.ca/fix-the-committee/
Results from the 2015 Community Survey http://www.leadnow.ca/2015/12/we-heard-you/

Please support the Leadnow.ca community! We're funded by people like you, and our small, dedicated team and growing community make sure your donation goes a long way. Every dollar helps. You can donate online at http://www.leadnow.ca/en/donate

Leadnow.ca is an independent campaigning community that brings Canadians together to hold government accountable, deepen our democracy and take action for the common good. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

Leadnow.ca - À l’Action est une communauté indépendante qui souhaite réunir les Canadiens afin de demander des comptes au gouvernement, approfondir notre démocratie et passer à l’action pour le bien commun. Suivre sur Twitter, Facebook, et Google+.

Leadnow.ca, PO Box 2091, Stn Terminal, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3T2 — 1‑855‑LEADN0W | 1‑855‑532‑3609