Minutes June 27, 2009

FVC-SK Executive In-Person Meeting: June 27, 2009
Watrous, Saskatchewan - 11:00 AM
Minutes:

Present: Don Mitchell, Gord Hunter, Larissa Shasko, Mike Burton, Elaine Hughes, Rick Sawa (Regrets from Sandra Finley)

1. Round table discussion on future directions of the FVC-SK Chapter:

Gord Hunter (Vice-President):
• FVC Executive Meeting update:
o Question of After B.C., where do we go next?
o Financial struggles (No appetite for increasing membership dues, stuck with current income levels. Treasurer questioned the ability of FVC considering resources)
o How do we make ourselves more interesting? The strategic plan and mission statement are being reworked. (All over the map, a lot of opinions, & not a whole lot of focus.)
o There was a bit of trouble with leadership issues. (The president was not running again, but a new president (from B.C.) finally stepped up.
o A national conference call is in the near future.
o How can we connect the chapters? (this wasn’t discussed at the meeting, but Gord feels there is potential to connect once the reworked strategic plan and revised mission statement are in place. Better communication between chapters is needed.
o Disorganization…
• Gord’s goals for FVC-SK:
o get back to our focus
o get labour involved
o get student’s involved
o talk to politicians

Elaine Hughes (MAL):
• In agreement with Gord.
• With nuke debate and economic recession, it’s hard to push proportional representation. How do we move this goal ahead right now?
• Urban/rural split in knowledge of PR
• Elaine’s goals for FVC-SK:
o Make it doable and small

Mike Burton (new Secretary, see item #4 below):
• This (PR) has to be first for a reason-- so that people’s voices are reflected.
• A motion of similar wording could be brought up at all political party AGMs to push the issue forward. Target provincial political party policy conventions before the next election.
• There is potential for recruitment in Political Science classes, Poli Sci students could speak to high school students (social studies classes, etc.).
• The hard part of moving this issue forward is that it’s the same set of people that are working on many other main issues/causes that are doing this too.
• There is potential for support from the U of R
• Possibility of obtaining resources from U of R student union
• It would be useful to have a paper on the history of PR
• We need to get talking to other groups to get them interested in the issue.
• First nations? Bands?

Rick Sawa (MAL):
• There are so many things coming at us these days that it seems so irrelevant, but if we change the way we voted, maybe all this stuff wouldn’t be thrown at us.
• Where do we fit as a chapter? Is this a big mission we’re all part of or a small mission that is part of a big mission?
• We should proceed with the fundraisers (social events in Regina & Saskatoon, Joyce Green in Regina, schedule permitting). These events are a good way to get more people involved. We’ll need to find a time that people aren’t doing all these other things.
• We must spend time to get time.
• Research paper into PR would be helpful. (Suggestion was made by Mike to refer to the CCPA paper by Joyce Green and Fraser Needham.)

Larissa Shasko (Treasurer):
• There is increasing interest among green political theorists and environmental pragmatists in democratic theory and practice. The current democratic deficit has been identified as a major barrier to accomplishing ecological rationality.
• To accomplish the environmental and social aspirations of Saskatchewan people, our electoral system must be fixed so that the interests of citizens are properly reflected in our elected representatives.
• Our electoral system is unfair.
• Broader theme of democracy
o Many Canadians identify with values of democracy, and they understand and identify with the fact that we are suffering from a lack of democracy.
o Talking about a broader theme of a lack of democracy is a good way to get people interested in proportional representation  democratic deficit is the problem, proportional representation is the solution.
• The existing lack of democracy in Saskatchewan is a good way to connect us to other causes, the current nuclear debate in particular (the nuclear debate is a good way to get many more activists involved in our cause).
• In agreement that Poli Sci students are a good pool for recruitment.
• Add municipal election focus:
o Municipal elections coming up in the fall
o There is room for improvements to the democracy of electoral systems in municipal elections in Saskatchewan, especially in cities without Wards and cities without any financial rules for campaigns.

Don Mitchell (President):
• Need to restructure the electoral system to be proportionate
• We have a distorting, unrepresentative electoral system
• We need to be taking poli sci off campus
• Most people don’t understand the system as it works now, so selling PR is that much harder.
• Basic education
• Huge separation between parliamentary and extra-parliamentary
• Research
• Dominant parties—self interest, must overcome that
• Municipal elections—even lower voter turnout than provincial/federal elections
• Voter turnout is going down each election, especially federal elections
• The European Experience
• Municipal electoral reform:
o Ward system needed
o Financial accountability and rules do not exist
• Nuclear issue as a civic issue (in the upcoming municipal elections). Cities could be “declared a nuclear free municipality” (like the city of Vancouver has done).
• As a chapter, we should be more autonomous, but not in direct conflict with the federal organization.

2. General Discussion:

• Webinar for public education (would be great for high school students).
• Improved social networking technologies
• Improved paper networking
• Talking points
• Although we should keep it simple, we need to be able to show and explain a working model of PR (New Zealand would be a good choice).
• Resources—Professors interested in the cause (such as Joyce Green) with access to research accounts may be able to help.
• In the event of a referendum: Question should be first-past-the-post or some other system—In the event of a referendum, we should be making the other side argue to keep 1st past the post instead of us trying to argue “yes to PR”. They’d have to campaign “yes to first- past-the-post” instead of “no to PR”. It is much easier to argue against something than it is to argue for something, so this would be an advantageous angle to use in the event of a referendum.
• Solidarity work—Making connections with other groups & issues.
• Form list of possible allies such as progressive farm organizations (NFU), the Prairie Lily Feminists, etc.

• Goals for FVC-SK:
o Get back to our focus (the need to restructure the electoral system to be proportionate)
o Foster public education on PR
o Get students involved (especially Political Science students)
o Be out in the classroom (high school social studies classes, etc.)
o Get labour involved
o Talk to politicians
o Make connections with other groups & issues

3. Fall Social Events:

• Hold events on Thursday nights, possibly September 18th or 25th or October 2nd.
o Regina event tentatively booked for September 18th.
o Possible venue for Regina event: Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre.
o See if we can find a band willing to play at the event (free of charge) after the keynote speaker. Larissa will contact Brett Dolter to see if his band would be interested/willing.
o Larissa will check if September18th works for Joyce Green (keynote speaker for Regina event)
• Don will contact Dave McGrain (sp?) to see if he’d be willing to be the keynote speaker for the Saskatoon event.
• Have a potluck at the events.
• Fundraise by asking people to leave a donation in a donation jar at the beginning and end of the event rather than doing a pass the hat.
• Look into additional ways to fundraise at the events (50/50 draws, raffles, silent art auction, etc.). Larissa will work on finding people/businesses willing to donate items for silent auction and raffle.

4. Appointment of new Secretary:

The 2009 FVC-SK Interim Secretary who we appointed at our founding meeting, Derron Hoover, has been out of contact for a quite a while and has previously expressed his wishes to resign as Secretary due to lack of availability.

 Motion: Nominate Mike Burton as interim Secretary of the 2009 FVC-SK Executive.
o Moved by Elaine, Seconded by Rick.
o Passed by Consensus:
 Mike Burton will join the 2009 FVC-SK Executive, and Mike will take over the role of interim Secretary of the Saskatchewan Chapter of Fair Vote Canada.

5. AGM: Don will contact Sandra about possibly having the AGM in Saskatoon and proceed from there.

6. Next meeting of the FVC-SK Executive: July 19th, 11 AM.
• Mike will send out agenda and reminder

New Action Items:
Assigned tasks:
 Don will contact Dave McGrain (sp?) to see if he’d be willing to be the keynote speaker for the Saskatoon event.
 Don will contact Sandra about possibly having the AGM in Saskatoon and proceed from there.

 Larissa will contact Brett Dolter to see if his band would be interested/willing to play (free of charge) at either of the fall social/fundraiser events.
 Larissa will check if September 18th works for Joyce Green
 Larissa will look into additional ways to fundraise at the fall events (50/50 draws, raffles, silent art auction, etc.), and Larissa will work on finding people/businesses willing to donate items for the possible silent auctions and raffles.

 Mike will send out agenda and reminder for next meeting (July 19, 11 AM)

Unassigned tasks:
 Book venue for Regina social event/fundraiser. (Possible venue for Regina event- Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre.)