Twas the night before voting and all the through the town,
A hush had descended ‘cause people felt down.
They knew their votes would prob’ly be wasted
With “first-past-the-post”, a poor system outdated
Voters lifted themselves from their warm, cozy beds
While pressing issues danced in their heads
The environment, terrorism and a growing income gap
With 9 million wasted votes, who’d put these on the map?
And what about the planet and her quiet mission?
When will we stop beating her to submission?
Accountability? Transparency? All Canadian expectations.
Replaced by PMO-Power and omnibus legislation
Spying and lying, expense-claim abuse
‘Fair Elections acts, C51, and the TTP had us all in a noose.
Voters started brainstorming: ‘how do we turn this around?’
The system was broken – designed to keep democracy down.
“But, wait” say the voters “we have a plan.
To make 2015 the last unfair election in the land
We have science to back us, a 25 year examination!
That shows what happens when you have Proportional Representation”
Countries did better on carbon emissions
Women in government had better representation.
Income inequality decreased when votes really counted
And fiscal deficits fell while surpluses mounted
Not a partisan issue or clandestine plot.
More than a ranked ballot or the way that we vote.
It’s about having a seat at the decision-making-table
To deal with real issues and keep the Country stable.
It’s not brain surgery or mysterious magic
It’s not sad or scary or anything tragic
Not a covert plan or hidden kleptocracy
It what the people want: it’s pure, true democracy!
All across the country arose a loud chatter.
We knew we had to make ALL our votes matter
The biggest reform since women got the vote!
We can do it, we know it, it’s not that remote.
It will take pressure from all corners of this land
Like most great movements, it will take many hands
We voted for a new leader who will work for a common vision
Compromise, respect and less division
63% voted for Parties that said they’d ‘make all our votes count’
A goal that puts citizens FIRST is paramount
We want an informed, inclusive, robust consultation process
That will deliver equal and effective votes for all of us.
Our new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau knows the gist
Of what Canadians have on their holiday list
They’ve given us a promise – a large undertaking
With so many options we’ll need evidence-based decision making
So this holiday season when you’re deciding where to give
Consider democracy and the place where you live
We’re not there yet, we need to keep the movement afloat
Please send us encouragement with a donation to Fair Vote!
Help us Make 2015 the last unfair election:
https://secure.fairvote.ca/en/civicrm/contribute/transact…
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As we go into the next phase of our campaign, the next 18 months could prove to be the biggest challenge for advocates of proportional representation.
We are calling on the Government and the media to do its due diligence and to work towards equal and effective votes. We will work with our allies to hold their feet to the fire but we can’t do it without your help.
Thank you for your ongoing support! All the best to you and yours for a Happy Holiday and a more democratic New Year!
Gary, David, Kelly, Anita, Wilf, John and the whole Fair Vote Canada Team