Please join us at a townhall meeting to hear Marco Fonseca (Professor, Department of International Studies, Glendon College) speak about grassroots movements in civil society.
We will be discussing what citizens can do when their country's democratic processes are under attack, and some of the specific issues involved in our own Parliamentary shutdown. There will be a petition for signing, which will request legislative change to prevent future prorogations of the special kind we saw in December 2009.
Event: "Holding the Line on Our Democracy"
Who: Citizens Engaging Democracy (Newmarket-Aurora area)
Date: February 25, 2010
Time: 7:00pm
Suggested voluntary donation: $10 (pay if/what you can)
Place: Binion Hall, Trinity Anglican Church, 79 Victoria Street
Aurora, ON L4G 1R3
Speaker: Prof. Marco Fonseca
Background Info on "Holding the Line on Our Democracy":
January 23, 2010 at 1:00pm, we stood up for democracy in Canada.
And somebody needed to!
In Newmarket-Aurora, our ralliers stood on the same ground where the 1837 Rebellion began. At the same time, all across Canada and the world, about 29,000 Canadians sent a message that Stephen Harper's prorogation of Parliament was something we did care about, very deeply. It was a non-partisan, grassroots event that included politicans and people of all ages and political stripe, or no political stripe at all. It was a strong, positive, community-building moment. Most of the 200-250 people gathered in Newmarket Town Square had never been to a political rally before.
Now, although Chris White's original Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament group on Facebook (now 225,000 members) is still a gathering place to share information, we have moved into our local communities to continue the work he helped us start. We hope to use the name "Citizens Engaging Democracy" to show that we are moving beyond the prorogation issue toward informing citizens about the political situation here in Canada and engaging people in taking an active role in their democracy. This work will continue past March 3, 2010, the date when Parliament is scheduled to re-open.
In Newmarket-Aurora and area, many people are still not even aware that our Parliament is shut down; important discussions and investigations were interrupted; legislation was scrapped in mid-debate. Various unconvincing excuses have been offered to us about why: for the Olympic Games! To recalibrate on the economy! To increase stability! We were told it was a routine measure. We now know it was not. Far from it.
The prorogation in 2009 is just the biggest ugliest kind of symptom; it has suddenly crystallized our awareness that our democratic process has been ill for some time. At a time when our military is fighting for democracy overseas, in countries where people risk their lives for the opportunity to cast a vote, Canadian voter turnout is appallingly low and voters are increasingly apathetic. Canada's reputation as a country that cares about peace, healthy environment, and human rights has been damaged badly. Our journalists cannot easily access information about our government's workings, and often they are forbidden to ask questions at press conferences. Our Opposition parties -- who are also elected to represent us -- are prevented from doing their job of debating policy and legislation. The government has refused a request BY PARLIAMENT to submit certain evidence to a Special Committee investigating the Afghan detainee torture issue. There is a tangle of issues that, once examined, show a general trend toward decreased transparency, decreased accountability, propagandizing and perhaps even misuse of power by the Stephen Harper government.
Harper certainly is not the only Canadian politician in history to abuse power. However, he has consolidated an unprecedented amount of control over his ministers and MPs, and crossed many lines we do not want to see crossed. We, the citizens of Canada, can insist on taking back our government. These elected representatives should work for us. Parliament is our House.
Informing yourself about these issues is as important as your next vote.
Apathy is very tempting when information is misleading or confusing and people are busy just trying to survive.
Don't take anybody's word for any of this -- do your own investigation. Use a variety of sources.
Become a Citizen Engaging Democracy. Attend "Holding the Line on Our Democracy Event" on February 25, 2010.
Don't wait till later to find out THIS was when we should have drawn the line.
Event page on Facebook (please join!): http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=293774042361&index=1
Our Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1280807687#!/group.php?gid=257710977525&ref=mf
Chris White's group that started it all (great info and discussions!), Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=293774042361&index=1#!/group.php?gid=260348091419&ref=mf
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