Fair Vote Canada
NEWSLETTER
Jan. 19, 2001

CONTENTS:
1) National meeting set for Ottawa
2) Local meetings underway
3) CBC's The National to focus on electoral reform
4) St. Lawrence Forum on proportional representation
5) Getting involved

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1) National meeting set for Ottawa

Fair Vote Canada will hold its first national meeting in Ottawa, March 30 and 31. Final details concerning location, speakers and registration will be announced soon.

2) Local meetings underway

Meetings of Fair Vote Canada supporters are being held in Ottawa, Edmonton and Toronto.

An informal meeting of Ottawa-area supporters of Fair Vote Canada was held on Jan. 13. About 14 people attended the meeting. The group discussed holding another meeting in February.

A CBC-TV crew filmed the meeting (see below).

A meeting will be held next week in Edmonton for all interested electoral reformers. With a provincial election set to start within weeks, Edmonton- area FVC supporters are determined to do what they can to get the issue of electoral reform on the agenda.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 pm at Block 1912 European Cafe (10361 Whyte Avenue, next to Greenwoods). Everyone is welcome.

Plans for a similar meeting in Toronto are underway.

Fair Vote Canada is currently developing guidelines on the role of local chapters. In the meantime, these local meeting are important early steps towards establishment of local chapters.

For information on any of these meetings, or if you are interested in helping to organize a meeting of FVC supporters in your area, contact FVC at .

3)CBC's The National to focus on electoral reform

CBC's The National is preparing a piece on electoral reform and proportional representation which is expected to air on Jan. 29.

A CBC crew filmed the recent Ottawa meeting (see above) in a local deli. Ed Broadbent, former NDP leader and PR supporter, coincidentally arrived at the deli while the crew was shooting.

4) St. Lawrence Forum on proportional representation

The St. Lawrence Forum in Toronto will take on the topic of electoral reform on February 28. Fair Vote Canada is co-sponsoring the event along with the Centre for Social Justice.

Speaking at the event will be Lorne Nystrom, MP, Walter Robinson of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and Dennis Pilon of York University. The moderator will be Haroon Siddiqui, editorial page editor emeritus of the Toronto Star.

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