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.

Premier Doug Ford tabled draconian and callous legislation that will criminalize people for not having a home — and he is ready to override the courts to make it happen.  This bill will give cities more power to increase policing and forcibly dismantle encampments — when people have nowhere else to go.  Community advocates and experts have come out against it: this legislation doesn't get to the root of the issue — it will just land more people in jails, cost millions of dollars and spread encampments to new places.  Already some cities have started to speak out against it. If more cities reject Ford’s brutal legislation and demand Ford provide real solutions to the housing crisis, it could force Ford to back down.  A wave of local campaigns calling on local mayors and city councils to come out against Ford's draconian legislation could help tip the scale. Sign the petition to your city’s mayor and council demanding they reject Ford’s crackdown on the houseless community.  

We learned in December that MCCSS will be cutting all the funding for the Health Nexus FASD Ontario website https://fasdinfotsaf.ca/. This bilingual website, launched in 2018, has become a trusted source of FASD research, best practices, events, support groups and diagnostic clinics. The FASD Ontario website is regularly accessed by people with FASD, family members, professionals, and service providers including our provincial FASD workers and has become a critical resource for the Francophone community which is plagued by a lack of FASD resources in their language of origin. To learn that funding to maintain this website has been cut is devastating. The following are critical reasons to continue funding maintenance and updating of this website:  1. The website provides navigation to publicly funded Ontario FASD Diagnostic Clinics (updated regularly). This is not available on any other site.   2. The repository of agencies delivering MCCSS’s FASD Worker Program, including contact information, resides on this site (updated regularly). Individuals and families depend on this resource as it provides more detail and is more frequently updated than the only other source of this information, https://www.ontario.ca.  3. A map and descriptions of the 40+ MCCSS-funded FASD Family and Caregiver Support Groups across Ontario are “housed” on this website, so individuals with FASD and their family members can find regional in-person and virtual support groups. Applications for this MCCSS funding and the required mid-term / final reports for groups are completed through the FASD Ontario website.   4. The newly relaunched website includes pages for Anglophone and Francophone people with FASD, a unique and critically needed resource.  5. Francophone families experience multitudes of barriers to accessing FASD resources and supports in French. The vast majority of MCCSS-funded FASD Workers only speak English. This website is bilingual and addresses a pressing need for French resources and navigation support.  6. Research and articles included on the website have been reviewed by FASD experts before sharing to ensure they are evidence-based and current.  7. MCCSS-funded FASD webinars and public virtual trainings are recorded and shared on the newly relaunched website, creating impact beyond the actual events, a smart investment and another example of “cross pollination” of MCCSS funded FASD initiatives.  8. Health Nexus is committed to the website promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA). Website content is created with an IDEA lens, with advisory support from the FASD Advisory Committee.  9. MCCSS has invested in this website creation and maintenance since 2018, reducing inequities in funding of supports for Ontarians with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs). For example, provincial funding for Ontario’s FASD strategy is far less than funding for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), despite the fact that FASD is 2.5 times as prevalent as ASD (CanFASD, 2018). Cancelling funding for this website further increases these inequities, creating discrimination among NDDs and increasing the stigma felt so deeply by the FASD community. It also contravenes the recommendations of Ontario’s comprehensive FASD Roundtables’ findings.  The Canada FASD Research Network estimates that 4% of Canadians have FASD though the majority are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The best predictors of improved outcomes for people with FASD are a stable, loving home and early diagnosis followed by customized strategies. The FASD Ontario website assists with navigation to diagnostic services and supports, shares evidence-based strategies and research through webinars and website pages, directs families to support groups to reduce isolation and build connections, and equips families to be strong and resilient. Removing these resources will cost Ontarians in the long run through increased costs related to education, health, mental health, substance use disorders, child welfare, homelessness and justice. Frankly, this website is not only a good investment, but also a critical investment. Signing the petition is an opportunity to voice support for a vital resource that ensures individuals with FASD and their families can access the services, knowledge, and connections they need to thrive. The consequences of losing this website would extend beyond the FASD community, perpetuating many inequities for Ontarians with neurodevelopmental disabilities. We’ve also created a page on our website to Share Your Story with Health Nexus to help our advocacy efforts https://www.fasdinfotsaf.ca/share-your-story/.

Premier Doug Ford has tabled draconian and cruel legislation that will further criminalize people for not having a home — and he is ready to override the courts to make it happen.  This bill will give cities more power to increase policing and forcibly dismantle encampments — when people have nowhere else to go. This is being introduced as winter sets in, a time when houseless folks face the additional threat of freezing to death.  Community advocates and experts have come out against it: this legislation doesn't get to the root of the issue — it will just land more people in jails, cost millions of dollars and spread encampments to new places.  Further, it terrorises people who face regular trespasses to their safety from police and state agencies. Raiding and clearing encampments leads to some of the most vulnerable people in our society being physically assaulted, arrested, and having their only belongings destroyed or confiscated. Clearing encampments criminalises what is for many their only means of survival.  Ford would also have to violate Canadians’ human rights to enforce this legislation by overriding the courts with the notwithstanding clause. This would override a decision in January 2023 by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. According to the CBC: “Justice M.J. Valente ruled that Waterloo Region could not use a municipal bylaw to evict people living in an encampment in Kitchener because that bylaw was deemed to be in violation of Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” Already some cities have started to speak out against it. If more cities reject Ford’s brutal legislation and demand Ford provide real solutions to the housing crisis, it could force Ford to back down.  A wave of local campaigns calling on local mayors and city councils to come out against Ford's draconian legislation could help tip the scale. Sign the petition to your city’s mayor and council demanding they reject Ford’s crackdown on the houseless community.