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Election
Kit
Download version of this document in .pdf This kit has materials to help you raise election candidates’ awareness of the importance of youth centres to families and to promote your interest in seeing strong youth centres and youth services in your riding. You have the opportunity to raise this issue during the election campaign. In this kit you will find:
Overview of Campaign The Government of Canada is having an election on Tuesday,
October 14, 2008 for the Federal Parliament. It
is expected that there will be at least four candidates running in each
riding. In most ridings there will be the
current sitting MP or Member of Parliament, as well as other candidates.
Find out about your riding and registered candidates at www.elections.ca You must be 18 years old, a Canadian citizen and resident in the riding on election day to vote. If you cannot vote, you can still be involved in an election by raising issues with candidates, attending election events or volunteering for candidates. Here are some party websites: www.conservative.ca www.liberal.ca How to
Contact Candidates Leading up to the election there are several ways to contact candidates and speak about youth issues. Most ridings will hold “All Candidates Meetings” where the candidates attend and answer questions from the public. This is a great opportunity to ask questions about youth issues and youth centres since many people will be present to hear the response. Local news media (newspapers, TV) may attend these events and report on them. You need to be vigilant to learn about All Candidates Meetings in your community. Look for flyers in stores or community centres, or search on the internet. PROS – Many people will hear the answers and it may be reported on the news. CONS – Some people, including youth, are intimidated to ask questions in a crowd. Candidates or their volunteers often travel door-to-door to ask for your support or ask you to put up a sign supporting a candidate. This is a great opportunity to ask questions because you have their full attention. You can have a discussion with the candidate or volunteer and also ask for more details or written follow-up. PROS – You can have a real discussion about youth issues. CONS – The candidate may not come to your door or it may be a volunteer. Candidates and their volunteers often have headquarters in the riding where you can go and ask questions or meet the candidate. Often the address, telephone number or website will be on election brochures that comes to your home or on election signs on your street. If you can meet the candidate or speak to them on the telephone you can ask your questions and have a short discussion about youth issues. PROS – You can speak directly to the candidate. CONS – You will need to make some effort to find the candidates. Also, many candidates and their volunteers will have a website and an e-mail address. This e-mail address may be on election brochures that come to your home or on election signs on your street. You can send an e-mail question and ask for a reply. Some of the website may include standard answers to common questions such as what the candidate will do for young people. PROS – Many people can do this from home. The reply e-mail is a record of their answer. CONS – Some people find this impersonal
and you may only get a “standard” reply. 5. Finally, as well as individual candidates, there may be helpful websites for the Federal Parties (ie. Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green, etc.) These party websites may include statements of party policy – what they will do if they are elected. You can look for the party policy on youth issues. Sometimes there is a way to send e-mail feedback on the policies. PROS – Many people can do this from home and answers are official party answers. CONS – The youth policy may not be specific and they may not answer your e-mail. Another strategy is to ask your local youth centre to hold a “Non-Candidates Meeting” where youth and parents can meet and talk about youth issues in the election without having the candidates present. Youth and parents can talk freely and discuss the platforms for the different parties and get ready to vote or to meet with candidates using the other strategies. PRO – This is a low-pressure and youth-friendly way to discuss the issues. CON
– You still need to act on the discussion and influence your
candidates. Questions for Candidates You may want to begin with a statement about youth issues in your area. For example: “Youth in this area do not have enough facilities or enough opportunities” or “We have a crisis in my area with youth in big trouble and no help for parents” or “Our youth centre has been struggling for years and had to cancel a popular activity this year for lack of support”. This can be helpful, but keep it short! Sometimes, it is better to just ask the question and skip the statement. You want questions that are “open-ended” so the candidate must say more than just “yes” or “no”. You want questions that cause the candidate to describe their plans with details. How will the candidate make their plans happen?
Sometimes when you ask questions, candidates may refer to current government policy or department that impacts on youth, such as Service Canada, Health Canada or the National Crime Prevention Centre.
More Tips on Speaking to Candidates If elected, the candidate will be YOUR representative and they need to know your views. One of the most important jobs of MPs is to listen and respond to the concerns of the people they represent. We know that talking to candidates is important and makes a difference. The things that are promised in campaigns and the actions new government take are often based on the issues that they hear over and over again during the election. Your voice makes a difference.
After you have asked your question and received your answer, you can still do two important things!
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