It’s here: ELXN43
If you’re following the news, you know that across the world, democracy is in crisis:
- Democratic governments and multilateral institutions seem powerless to limit the excesses of authoritarian governments and fringe “populists”
- Instead of hearing other perspectives and finding common ground, we are being locked in echo chambers in which the shrillest voices ring the loudest
- News sources are flooded with misinformation, scare tactics, and personal attacks
Worst of all, we are losing faith in the ability of our institutions and leaders to tackle the most basic issues, let alone the greatest challenges of our generation. Believe it or not, you have the power to change that. In fact, you’re making a difference already.
We have an election coming up in Canada, and I’m excited to share with you an amazing tool that makes it unbelievable easy to step up.
- Enter your postal code and see all candidates running from your riding
- Use a sample email we’ve created or write your own
- Click send – that’s it!
Regardless of whether you support a particular party or candidate, now is the time to speak up. Your voice will be heard (and rest assured, your privacy will be protected).
What makes us a truly democratic society is engaging in thoughtful discussions on our successes, failures, and dreams, and moving ahead together. There are powerful interests (and armies of bots) trying to distract us from this fundamental right and solemn duty, but we can’t let them silence our grassroots movement. Call us old-fashioned, but we still believe in the power of creating change by bringing people together, one conversation at a time.
That’s why we’re asking you to write to your candidates and share your vision for the future we want to create together. With the elections coming up, candidates are listening keenly to their constituents. Only a handful of people take the time to contact their candidates running for office, so even a single email has an outsized impact.
Ask your candidates to support issues you care about, or add your voice to our campaign to increase in the scale and effectiveness of Canadian aid. Despite its criticisms, it’s one of the most useful and effective ways in which we give back to the rest of the world. In recent years, we have fallen behind and we need to contribute our fair share.
Can we count on you? The future of democracy might depend on it.