The recent article in the globe and mail indicated that members of the NDP leadership are looking to require $150,000 entry fee and $1.5 million spending limit for the upcoming NDP leadership race. This would require prospective NDP leaders to spend their time extracting more money from NDP members. There is no evidence this will improve the quality of the leader chosen or provide real value to NDP members. It will significantly narrow the field of prospects to choose from. When a leadership race is centered on earning votes rather than fundraising, the focus shifts to the quality of ideas, vision, and genuine connection with the public. When fundraising ability becomes the main metric, candidates are often judged by their access to wealth and influential networks rather than their competence or responsiveness to the needs of everyday citizens. This approach risks sidelining talented leaders who might not have the same financial backing but possess the moral authority, innovative thinking, and grassroots appeal necessary to drive meaningful change. Choosing leaders based on votes ensures that the race reflects the true will of the people, emphasizing policy substance and community trust over the sway of dollars.  Furthermore, making the leadership race about vote-earning rather than fundraising reinforces the democratic principles upon which the NDP is founded. A campaign that prioritizes genuine voter support over financial prowess helps purge the undue influence of big-money interests, paving the way for a leadership that is more attuned to the concerns and aspirations of its members. This approach not only elevates honest, effective leadership but also restores public confidence in a process that should be a contest of ideas and commitment to progress. It positions the party to better serve its constituents, signaling a renewed dedication to meaningful change over monetary influence. This leadership race does not require NDP members to pay millions of dollars in fundraising. It can be run by the party providing information to members through mailing lists, live streamed debates, conventions and providing information on NDP websites.  Stand for a NDP leader who can win hearts, not wallets - Sign now to ensure our NDP leadership race is defined by earned votes—not by the power of fundraising! 

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.

In the wake of the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy in Vancouver, communities across Canada are grieving, searching for answers—and demanding action. 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. 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.That’s why we’re speaking up. That’s why we’re asking you to join us. We are calling on the Prime Minister to take urgent, national action to address the systemic gaps this tragedy has exposed. Add your name now—and share this widely. Rally everyone you know to sign this petition. Every signature helps move this forward. We are calling for: 1. A National Roundtable 2. Stronger mental health intervention 3. Safer public event protocols 4. Community-led safety and trauma support CLICK HERE TO READ THE 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 BRING YOUR ORGANISATION INTO THIS MOVEMENT: 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

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. 

Whereas: • Throughout Canada’s history the United States has always proven to be an unreliable and unpredictable ally and trade partner; • The United States has shown in recent years a greatly diminished commitment to democracy and the rule of law, civil and human rights, and a reduced commitment to honouring trade and defence agreements it has negotiated and signed; • The United States has historically and recently made threats against Canadian sovereignty; • The nations of Europe have consistently been Canada’s friends and allies since the end of World War II and in some cases much longer than that; • The European Union has shown an ever-stronger commitment to free markets, workers rights, a strong social safety net, a rules based international order, democracy, the rule of law, equality, civil and human rights including indigenous rights; • Membership in the European Union offers strength, stability and security for Canada’s economy, geographic territory and its citizens individually in a constantly changing and more hostile world without threatening Canada's unique identity and culture or status as a sovereign country; We the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, urge the Government of Canada, its provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples to enter into open and transparent negotiations with our allies in the European Union about the possibility of Canada becoming a member state of the European Union.

Elon Musk is the main shareholder of Tesla, owning more than 20% of the company, he is also a very visible advisor to the Trump Administration. Given the Administration's continued threat to annex Canada, it is a national security issue to continue to allow Musk's businesses to operate in Canada. It provides financial benefits to a person who is hostile to our continued sovereignty. As a non tariff response to these continued threats we need to ban the sale of new Tesla vehicles in this country.

This would provide more jobs for Ontario workers, keeping money in Canada, and we can cut ties (in one way) with Musk, who continues to gain power and is trying to influence elections, as he flirts with Nazi sympathizers around the globe. In Ford's words, we should not "pay a penny" of our Canadian tax dollars. Whether you support Ford or not, this $100 million contract was a BAD deal to begin with for the pocket books of Canadians. Tell Doug Ford to end the contract, and bring it back to Canada. 

The CEO of social media platform X, also called Twitter, has used the platform to interfere in democratic elections across the globe. He is also a cabinet minister in the Trump administration, a hostile foreign government that has explicitly indicated it wishes to force Canada to become a subsidiary nation. Whether we like it or not, Canada is now on the frontlines in the fight to save democracy and resist global oligarchy. To preserve our own freedom of speech and informational security, we must prevent representatives of hostile foreign governments, such as Musk, from flooding us with disinformation and propaganda. We must ban X/Twitter before the next federal election - and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry has the power to do it, as the role in charge of telecom policy. Officials across Canada are already debating the role of X/Twitter in public communications. A massive outpouring of support for an outright ban could be the push needed to get the federal government to take this urgently needed step to help secure Canada's information environment from American aggression and propaganda.

Doug Ford is dragging Ontario into a snap election that literally no one asked for — and it’s clear this is all about one thing: Ford’s desperate grab for power. He’s trying to sell us some flimsy excuse about needing a fresh mandate from Ontarians. But he already has one, thanks to the big majority he rode in on last time. And as for that $200 rebate? Nice try, Doug. We want dependable public services, not a one-time handout (or shall we say bribe?) to buy our vote. With the cost of living soaring, tariff threats from Trump, and a federal election looming, Ontario’s already juggling a lot. So what’s Ford doing? Throwing away $175 million in public funds, and kicking off a month of chaos, rather than working with opposition parties to protect our communities and workers. This election isn’t for Ontario — it’s all about Ford. And we’re not buying it.