Some of our thoughts following the US Election
Rising polarization in Canada
Deeply polarized politics pits “us” against “them”, neighbour against neighbour. In 2022, the Economist’s Democracy Index report noted that Canada was sliding into American style problems. In their 2023 report, as Canada’s score declined again, they wrote: “Canada increasingly appears to be suffering from some of the same democratic deficits as its southern neighbour… Polarization has become a growing feature of Canadian politics.” A report by Justin Ling for Public Policy Forum, Far and widening: The rise of polarization in Canada, also concluded that polarization is growing in Canada. Ling describes it as the division of Canadians into “agitated clusters of comforting rage”. The report also notes: “Parties know this polarization exists and they see a benefit in exploiting it.” While polling indicates Canadians are worried about many important issues, at a deeper level we’re also concerned about the ability of a more polarized political system to solve them.
A polarizing electoral system
Our current first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system is deeply flawed. Canada, Britain and the USA are some of the few democratic countries in the world that use a first-past-the-post electoral system. Winner-take-all voting systems distort election results, polarize politics and shut voters out. Moreover, FPTP in Canada exaggerates regional differences and inflates partisanship – crippling incentives to work across party lines. There are alternatives. Prime Minister Our current first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system is deeply flawed. Canada, Britain and the USA are some of the few democratic countries in the world that use a first-past-the-post electoral system. Winner-take-all voting systems distort election results, polarize politics and shut voters out. Moreover, FPTP in Canada exaggerates regional differences and inflates partisanship – crippling incentives to work across party lines. There are alternatives.
Trudeau recently stated that if he could do things differently he would have implemented electoral reform. FairVote has an excellent tutorial on different models of proportional representation and which are the fairest. This fall, a motion in Parliament to establish a Citizen’s Assembly on electoral reform did not pass. FairVote has launched a Charter Challenge to our system, based on findings of fact that our FPTP system – in particular – under-represents women and minorities. This challenge is under a second reading this November. A recent FairVote webinar explains why Canada, the US and the UK should undertake electoral reform using a model such as proportional representation, Our Democratic Futures: Proportional Representation for the US, the UK and Canada Note: there are other models that should be considered. Cooperate for Canada has not endorsed a specific model.
Engaging young people in the voting process earlier could encourage ongoing engagement in our democracy. Read more
Fascism’s roots in polarization and hate
As we see American political polarization creep into Canadian politics our Cooperate for Canada member, Kathleen Kett, offers a warning about fascism:
On October 27, 2024, Heather Cox Richardson in ‘Letters from an American’ shared a
document published on March 24,1945 by the American government – a fact sheet on
fascism – written to help U.S. troops understand what they were fighting for during WWII.
It described in detail the definition of fascism and how it works—how fascism succeeds with
lies and deceit so that it can finally gain control of the economic, political, social and cultural
life and gain its ultimate goal —government by the few for the few with no accountability.
How does it do this? By using hate as its fuel. All of us, both north and south of our
border, need to recognize hate as the root of fascism—hate and fear weaken democracy
which relies on cooperation rather than division. When politicians spout vitriol about their
opponents, check very carefully for mis- and disinformation. Make sure their ‘facts’ are
supported by evidence and not just conspiracy theorists.”
Blog: Why the Emotional is Political
Cooperate for Canada leader Isaiah Ritzmann offers an interesting perspective in Acknowledge Feelings Honestly Again.
News from Us
C4C member Jane Garthson shares her comments on David Suzuki’s address in Toronto for the Seniors For Climate event that took place October 1st, which underscored the urgency of the outcome of our upcoming elections (see Suzuki Foundation’s Voting in a time of climate chaos):
We Have Five Years. That was the chilling message delivered by David Suzuki at Seniors
for Climate (SFC) Toronto on October 1, 2024. In five years, the planet could be unliveable.
He didn’t need to warn us what would happen if Canada wasted four of those with a new
Prime Minister who takes us backwards on fighting climate change.
David highlighted the 2023 Stockholm Resilience Centre’s Planetary Boundaries – the nine
planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for
generations to come. We have already exceeded six, and are approaching the danger zone
on a seventh. Strong actions could move us back into a safer zone. But only we act in the next five years.
He reminded us we used to live in a web of relationships and reciprocity – values very
relevant to our efforts to get progressive parties to cooperate! But if politicians only look as
far as the next election, they won’t commit to long-term climate actions, much less admit
there is an emergency.
David’s fascinating talk spanned the scope of human development, its origins, our unique
ability to imagine the future, the costs of the industrial revolution and the need to put the
‘eco’ back in economics! With references, of course, to nature and Indigenous knowledge.
He still has hope that young people will save the planet.
New Toolkit Item: Guide to Analyze Polling & Projections
Who best can defeat the Conservative in your riding? We have launched a new step-by-step guide to help you determine where ridings stand with respect to the possibility of a Conservative win, which ridings are the victim of vote splitting, and how to identify which candidate (Greens, Liberals, NDP or Bloc) would be most likely to defeat the Conservatives – if parties either cooperated with a unity candidate, or if residents of the riding vote strategically.
Action Required: Sign Our Voting Pledges
Sign our recently launched voting pledges! It is urgent to send a clear message to the centre left Parties (Leaders, Candidates and Riding Associations) to tell them that voters want them to cooperate and work together to protect our future. We urge you to sign both Federal and Provincial Voting Pledges, and share widely.
New Chapters Forming
We are excited to share that we have chapters that have formed or are emerging across the country! This is a list of some of the current and emerging chapters:
- Grand River Watershed (Ontario)
- Hamilton-Niagara
- GTA (Greater Toronto Area)
- PEI
- Southern BC
- Ottawa
If you are interested in joining one these chapters, or if you would like to help start a chapter in your area, let us know!
All of us at Cooperate for Canada are volunteers so we understand that everyone has many demands on their time. Your involvement can be very flexible, and you can choose activities and events that interest you the most. Some examples of how you can contribute to a chapter: participate or organize meetings, write/share emails, write op-eds or letters to the editor, canvass, organize or assist with local events (for example: tabling), communicate with local groups/organizations, Riding Associations and Candidates. Your efforts can help us grow much needed momentum!
Growing Our Reach
Speaking of growing…We are really excited we have a lot more followers – and people sharing our posts – on Bluesky. Bluesky is a relatively new social media platform that is emerging as the preferred alternative to X (aka Twitter). Millions are leaving X due to problematic changes – the deteriorating environment and quality of content. On Bluesky there is is a lot of high quality engagement, and – unlike X – moderation is a top priority. Most people report their experience is a refreshing change compared to the toxicity on X. Journalists, academics, experts from around the world on climate, science, healthcare and democracy are part of the millions who have joined Bluesky recently, particularly after seeing Elon Musk (the owner of X) playing such a concerning role in the recent US election.
We hope you will follow us on Bluesky and share our content to help us grow a huge following and build support for cooperation!
User tip: Bluesky is much more enjoyable if you follow lots of accounts. Your feed only includes posts of the people you follow. Bonus: No ads, at least not so far.
Recently we have updated our website to include share buttons at the bottom of the page that make it very simple to share our content. We have included Bluesky in the list.
You can also follow us on our other social media accounts too:
Facebook, Threads, X (Twitter)
Shout Outs
Kudos to Re.Climate
for identifying the five political audiences in Canada around climate issues and how to build public will for climate action. Re.Climate is the ‘go to’ for strategies on climate communication. Did you know that a majority of Canadians across different social groups care about climate to some degree? Fossil Fuel conservatives make up only 14% of our citizens. Check out the audience in your province/region.
Kudos to Climate Pledge Collective
for launching Future Mending Podcasts
What is future mending? Learn all about it here. With their podcasts Climate Pledge Collective does a deep dive into what to do, and how to take care of yourself now: be kind; take action; buy local; switch to progressive social media; and listen to Future Mending Radio and visit Climate Pledge Collective for more options. The podcast episode on Digital Detox entitled “Phone Meets Lake” is a good place to start. Take time with family and friends and get off your screens and out in nature – nature has no algorithm designed to make you sad or angry.
Their message: Good people are our superpower, but a pay-to-play, algorithmic information ecosystem has stolen that advantage away from us. Join a running club or a hiking group or a parent group and talk to people. Millions of people don’t know a single scientist or lawyer or doctor except for those who rule over them as ‘experts,’ so it’s no wonder they don’t trust modern institutions. Don’t start with politics, but don’t be afraid to talk about politics once you’ve gotten to know people a bit.
Upcoming Events
November 20, 2024 at 1:00PM EST
Webinar: Strengthening Democracy. Hosted by FairVote.
Tackling Polarization and Strengthening Democracy with expert guests: Jennifer McCoy from the US, Kamil Bernaerts from Belgium and David Moscrop from Canada will help deepen our understanding of polarization, its risk to democracy and what we can do. This event has passed, but it was recorded. Watch the recording
In the News
Conservatives Disinformation Campaign: John Rustad just taught progressives an important lesson about how far Conservatives are willing to go with disinformation | Canada’s National Observer: Climate News
Global impact of US election results: Read Emmett MacFarlane’s essay Trump without Guardrails and Lessons for Canada
Trump’s impact on climate action and the vital work of communities despite a Trump victory: From the Energy Mix: Energy Transition, Climate Emergency Won’t Stop for Trump, Global Leaders Say
Is the US Constitution dead?
We considered writing an obituary for the US Constitution. Articles on fascism and a Trump win recall a horrific history, and serve as a warning and reminder – never again. But let us not concede defeat – there is much that can be done. Besides individual and neighbourhood actions there are ways that government infrastructure can protect their citizens and their commons. This Guardian article states: “California has been setting up guardrails to protect its resident’s rights under an adversarial federal government [under Trump]. “Down-ballot” struggles are important”.
We can learn from this in Canada. Join movements that protect our cities, our farmlands and our wild places. Municipalities in the GTA are calling on the federal government to advance funding for affordable housing. First Nations are gathering to preserve lands and waters for future generations.
Instead of an obituary, how about a call to hold fast, fight for what we love and the values we hold in the face of a global far right movement. We are called at this time to be the ones that love instead of hate, who hope instead of despair, and stay calm instead of fearful. Let us build resolve to join together, to walk a different path and to shine a light on a sustainable future in the face of fierce resistance from corporate propaganda, and to counter oppression and fear in our fellow citizens. A growing number of people around the globe are putting their efforts into Bioregional Regeneration of the earth. Recently their gorgeous new website was launched and this gives us a tremendous sense of hope for the future.
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