Community Survey Results

Recently we’ve heard from many people in the Leadnow community who are disappointed about the decision of Liberal MPs to vote for bill C-51, despite their concerns about the bill and their promise to amend it if elected.

We’ve also heard from many people, including allies and grassroots groups, who want the Liberal MPs to commit to repeal the bill, not just amend it.

C-51 is an important issue. A strong democracy is one of our priorities, and the Leadnow community has spoken out powerfully against this bill. Both the NDP and Green Party leaders have spoken out forcefully against C-51 and have each committed to repeal the bill. In turn, we believe the Liberals made a mistake in how they handled this legislation, and their decision is likely a factor in their recent decline in the polls.

However, whether we’re talking about repealing C51, putting an end to secretive trade deals, protecting our public healthcare or defending our communities from runaway climate change - any conversation about moving Canada forward hinges on electing a new government in this next election.

And the Vote Together campaign was designed over two years with input from thousands of people in the Leadnow community to anticipate exactly this kind of challenge.

Through that process,we heard loud and clear that the Vote Together strategy in this election should not be “one size fits all”, so we designed it to be responsive to a shifting political landscape - both locally and nationally. We also heard clearly that, in ridings where vote splitting could let a Conservative win again, we need to unite to vote for the best candidate to defeat them.

However, in safe NDP, Liberal and the Green ridings, Leadnow members should vote for the candidate they feel best represents their values. That way, we can create a “race to the top” where we can both defeat Harper Conservatives and encourage the NDP, Liberals and Greens to offer strong platforms for real change.

In other words, if people Vote Together in about 60 swing ridings, we can defeat the Harper Conservatives in the next election. In the remaining 280 or so ridings where vote splitting is unlikely to elect a Conservative MP, people should vote for the government they want.

We also want to make it clear that Leadnow community members have not yet decided which candidates are the best to defeat the Conservatives in their ridings. We know that things change quickly during election season. We’ve already seen major changes in the polls, and the parties have yet to release their full platforms. The process for deciding together will happen much closer to the election to accommodate shifts in the political landscape.

Leadnow will continue to track the party positions on key issues and the state of the race both nationally and locally in swing ridings. These factors will be reported on our website and reflected in our Vote Together campaign over the coming months so we can help Vote Together pledge signers make the best voting decision for their own riding during the election.

Given that background, we believe that we can address the Liberal MPs’ decision to vote for C-51, and their promise to amend the bill, as it relates to the Vote Together campaign.

So, together we’d:

• Keep building a community of people who pledge to Vote Together for the best local candidate to defeat the Conservative in key swing ridings.

• At the same time, encourage the Liberals to strengthen their position on C-51, from making amendments to effectively repealing it.

• During the election, offer Vote Together pledge signers information about the state of the race in their riding, and an issue report card on the party’s positions on the Leadnow community priorities - strong democracy, fair economy, and clean environment - to inform their choice of the best local candidate to defeat the Conservative.

• Include each party’s position on C-51 under the “strong democracy” category in our issue report cards that all Vote Together pledge signers will see.

• Encourage Vote Together pledge signers to make the choice between the NDP, Liberal or Green candidate in their riding with all of this information.

We wanted to check to see if opinions of the plan would be divided between people who have taken action on the Vote Together campaign, and people who have only taken action on the C-51 campaign. So we surveyed the whole community, with special messages for four different groups:

1. Vote Together Volunteers - this groups includes some of Leadnow’s most active members who are working in swing ridings now, and other people who have indicated a willingness to volunteer on the Vote Together campaign

2. Vote Together Pledge Signers - people who have signed the Vote Together pledge to pick the best local candidate to defeat the Harper Conservatives

3. General Members - people who joined the Leadnow community by taking action on one of our many campaigns over the years, but have not yet signed the Vote Together pledge

4. New “Reject Fear” Members - people who recently joined the Leadnow community by taking action in our Reject Fear campaign to stop Bill C-51.

Here is a breakdown of their responses:

Sample comment:

“I cut up my Liberal party member's card on the basis of their C-51 position, so I do think it's important to address the matter in your VT strategy. What I like about your approach is the acknowledgement that it could swing voters -- which may in itself give a message to the Liberals” - General Member

While nearly 3/4s of every survey group responded positively to our plan, some want us to focus more strongly on specific parts of it, especially increasing pressure on the Liberal party to commit to effectively repeal C-51 rather than make amendments.

Sample comment:

“I think there should be active pressure on Liberals to change their minds on Bill C-51”- Vote Together Volunteer

We also received critical feedback from members who disagreed with the plan, saying Liberal party candidates shouldn’t remain in the Vote Together Campaign because of the Liberal MPs’ C-51 vote. Others voiced concerns that focusing too much on the Liberal MPs’ C-51 vote could undermine our common goal of defeating Harper.

Sample comments that reflect the range of feedback:

“Trying to enhance the Liberal stance on C51 could lead to more vote splitting which could backfire and keep the Conservatives in power and C51 in full effect.” -General Member

“Unless the liberals publicly state they will repeal 51 - they should not be considered a progressive vote for change. I cannot support any candidate that supports C-51” - New “Reject Fear” Member

“I disagree with your approach. The Liberals have promised to amend this bill in major ways. What is important is to defeat the Harper government. Do not create division on the left by attacking the Liberals on this, but DO hold them to their promise to amend and introduce oversight.” - Vote Together Pledge Signer

Sample comments that reflect the range of feedback:

“I have never in my life voted anything but NDP - primarily because I've lived in NDP constituencies. I now live in a Liberal riding and will vote Liberal. I want them to repeal C-51. I'll vote for them anyway because Harper...must go.” - Vote Together Pledge Signer

“As much as I would like to see Stephen Harper defeated, I cannot in good conscience, vote for a liberal candidate, given the party's position on Bill C-51.”- New “Reject Fear” Member

“Seems like the best option for defeating the conservatives”- New “Reject Fear” Member

“C-51 is almost a deal breaker for me to support the Liberals, though the goal of defeating Harper remains paramount” - Vote Together Volunteer

Of the 23% who are only willing to vote for a candidate who is not their first choice to defeat a Harper Conservative under specific conditions, the most often cited conditions are: strong party commitments to the Leadnow community priorities - strong democracy, fair economy, clean environment - including an effective repeal of C-51, and a good local candidate who is willing to influence their party to take stronger positions on the community priorities.

We also wanted to know if General Members and New “Reject Fear” Members would support other people in the Leadnow community voting for a candidate who was not their first choice, if it meant that they would have a better chance of defeating a local Harper Conservative. So we asked:

Sample comment:

“I will support anyone I believe can win their riding and return the Conservative Party to the status of irrelevancy they should be relegated to.” - New “Reject Fear” Member

We wanted to check to see if the Leadnow community would prefer us to emphasize information about the state of the race in their riding, or information about the opposition party positions on the issues. The result is a strong preference for a balance between the two:

Sample comments:

“I Love the approach of an issue report card with the party positions on democracy, climate, and economy.” - New “Reject Fear” Member

“I hope that when communicating each politician's stance on these key issues, particularly C-51 and the three issues emphasized by Leadnow, our information focuses on actions taken as opposed to promises made.” - Vote Together Volunteer

On that last point, about emphasizing actions taken over promises made, we’ll take that feedback and look to incorporate it into the campaign where possible. With 338 ridings, we will not be able to cover all the ridings. However, we will look to cover as many of the swing ridings as we can.