Canadians are tired of our broken voting system. After Trudeau broke his promise of reforming our electoral system in 2015, apathy and cynicism towards our democracy has grown. If Canada is to weather the challenges that come our way, we must strengthen our democracy by making our voting systems more fair through proportional representation. As our new Prime Minister, Mark Carney has an opportunity to deliver on this broken promise!  Proportional representation would ensure majority governments have the support of the majority of voters. Political parties and politicians would be incentivized to work across party lines in order to enact durable policies in the interest of all Canadians.  Proportional representation would end strategic voting. Instead of voting against the candidate they dislike, Canadians would be free to make an affirmative choice for the candidate that most reflects their values.  Proportional representation would ensure all voters have meaningful representation. Conservatives in urban centres, Liberals in the West, and progressives in rural areas would finally have representatives in Parliament that reflect their values.  Proportional representation would encourage a political culture of collaboration. Instead of rewarding partisan attacks, proportional representation would elevate politicians who can unite the public and work across party lines to form policy.  Around the world, proportional representation succeeds when two or more parties negotiate and compromise to make it happen. A non-partisan, independent Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform would be a good way to provide feedback to Parliament about how to make Canada's electoral system more proportional. Tell Prime Minister Mark Carney that we need proportional representation to make every vote count! 

Read our LETTER to the BC Special Committee on Democratic and Electoral Reform.

“READ OUR LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER.” In April 2025, a tragic act of violence at the Lapu-Lapu Day celebration in Vancouver claimed lives, injured many, and sparked grief and concern in communities across Canada. This was more than a tragedy—it was a stark reminder of how vulnerable our communities remain. What should have been a joyful cultural gathering instead exposed deep gaps in public safety, emergency preparedness, and systemic support for racialized, immigrant, and visible minority communities. We were there to celebrate culture, community, and joy. Families, elders, youth, newcomers—people from all backgrounds came together in the spirit of Bayanihan. But the violence that struck that day turned a place of celebration into a scene of fear, grief, and heartbreak. And in the days that followed, we kept hearing the same thing: “Filipinos are resilient.” Yes, we are. We’ve always shown strength in the face of hardship. But resilience should not be the price of being ignored. It is not a replacement for safety, justice, or investment in our communities. This isn’t just about one incident or one group. The victims were diverse. The impact rippled across cultures. What happened exposed a national failure—of mental health coordination, public safety planning, and support for racialized and immigrant communities. We are tired of being praised for surviving while systems fail to protect us. We want prevention, not just recovery. Dignity, not just sympathy. Concrete action, not just comforting words. We are calling for federal policies that listen to lived experiences, fund grassroots solutions, and make all communities safer—not just during moments of tragedy, but every single day. That’s why we’re speaking up. That’s why we’re asking you to join us. “READ OUR LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER.” Sign this petition to demand that the Government of Canada: • Act on these policy priorities in Budget 2025 • Collaborate meaningfully with Filipino and other racialized communities • Stop glorifying resilience and start building safety This petition is supported by: Filipino Canadian Social & Community Workers Network (FCSCWN) Filipino-Canadian Civic Action Network (FCCAN) Tech2Step Network Canada BE A SUPPORTER:   We invite societies, grassroots networks, coalitions, cultural organizations, centres, councils, associations, and not-for-profits—especially those supporting racialized, immigrant, and visible minority communities across Canada—to join our calls to action. Allies are welcome too. Please complete this form. Together, let’s ensure no community is left to grieve alone or rebuild unsupported. Let’s demand action—now.

Dear members of the Special Committee on Democratic and Electoral Reform, We are a group of high-school youth that are part of Foundry’s Agenda Gap program. Our mission is to empower youth in Abbotsford and across B.C. by advocating for stronger political representation and policies that support youth mental health and well-being. We believe young people should have a direct voice in shaping the decisions that impact their communities and personal lives. Through activism and education, we work toward a future where youth leadership and advocacy drive a more just, equitable, and inclusive society. We are writing to you today because in 2019 the NDP passed a policy convention resolution to extend the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds. That year, the BC Green Party and Union of Municipalities unanimously supported a call to lower the provincial voting age as well. Yet, despite the current political climate and its threats to democracy, and the fact that Young New Democrats have party leadership voting rights, 16 and 17 year old youth remain disenfranchised from voting. This is a longstanding request whose time is overdue. It is aligned with NDP values of supporting youth engagement and addressing the needs of diverse Canadians.  Youth represent one fifth of Canada’s population, with 674,500 youth under the age of 18 in British Columbia alone. Increasingly, youth are leading social movements and getting involved in their communities. Further, young people aged 16 to 17 can decide to work an unrestricted amount of hours, pay taxes, join the armed forces, become emancipated, get married, consent to sex, leave school, and drive. Young people contribute greatly to their communities and Canadian society as a whole. For example, our economic contributions as a large part of the labour force are deeply impactful upon sustaining our collective future. Further, we know that youth who vote are both passionate and knowledgeable about current affairs. In alignment with Canada’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, young people deserve the right that voting affords to participate in political life and influence the decisions and policies that affect them.  As documented in the recent Lowering the Voting Age: UNICEF Canada Policy Brief (2024),  a number of countries around the world, such as Austria, Belgium and Scotland, have empowered youth aged 16-18 with the right to vote. Research reveals there are no downsides to youth participation. In fact, such changes increase and broaden civic and political engagement by also increasing parent voting engagement. Extending voting rights to youth after they turn 16 also resulted in participation over a longer term, strengthening their democratic processes.  Canadians are confronting a multitude of challenges affecting our wellbeing, such as financial and social inequality, climate change, and threats to democracy. Considering these challenges alongside the decline in voter engagement, this request is timely as youth will bring a fresh perspective, new solutions, diverse opinions, and increased political representation. Lowering the voting age to 16 will ultimately strengthen participation, representation, and democracy itself.  Thank you, in advance, for your action on this critical issue.  Sincerely, Agenda Gap Youth

This election, help us fight the far-right and elect candidates who will stand up for working people. 

A residential school apologist with a history of sexist and transphobic positions is running for the Conservatives in North Island—Powell River — and the polls have him in the lead.  Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn is making national headlines for publicly stating that Canada’s residential school system, which claimed the lives of thousands of Indigenous children through its hundred-year history, did not constitute a genocide.  Despite the fact that regional Indigenous leadership and 57 and growing names of local mayors and councillors in the riding have called for his removal, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is defending Aaron Gunn’s statements. It is unacceptable for a prospective Member of Parliament to dispute the facts of Canada’s colonial history. The trauma of residential schools still lives on in many Indigenous communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission brought to light the dark history of Canada’s residential schools as sites of rampant abuse, designed to erase Indigenous cultures, where children were torn from their families, stripped of their languages, and subjected to systemic harm. In 2022, the House of Commons officially called the residential school system what it was: a genocide, carried out with the intent of erasing a people from the land.  But now, Aaron Gunn is making a mockery of that truth in a cynical attempt to buy votes from his far-right base.  We the undersigned call on Pierre Poilievre to immediately remove Aaron Gunn as the Conservative candidate for North-Island—Powell River. Sources: [1] Open Letter to CPC, https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1yn1znTrv3ZYF_WDVIZhy5rncPAq_vlZpyrdJuf00z0A/mobilebasic?usp=embed_facebook&urp=gmail_link 

This election, help us fight the far-right and candidates who will stand up for working people. 

This election, help us fight the far-right and candidates who will stand up for working people. 

This election, help us fight the far-right and candidates who will stand up for working people. 

This election, help us fight the far-right and candidates who will stand up for working people. 

This election, help us fight the far-right and candidates who will stand up for working people. 

This election, help us fight the far-right and candidates who will stand up for working people.