My awesome husband Bob Jonkman is a candidate nominee for the 2019 federal Green Party of Canada nomination in Kitchener Centre.
https://bobjonkman.ca/
My awesome husband Bob Jonkman is a candidate nominee for the…
Category: Green Party of Canada
My awesome husband Bob Jonkman is a candidate nominee for the…
My awesome husband Bob Jonkman is a candidate nominee for the 2019 federal Green Party of Canada nomination in Kitchener Centre.
https://bobjonkman.ca/
Meet The Nominees #KitCen
Bob Jonkman has championed Proportional Representation since he
volunteered for Fair Vote Canada in the 2007 referendum. As an Executive
Member of the very active Fair Vote Waterloo Region Chapter, Bob came to
believe electoral reform could best be accomplished by entering
politics. He ran for office federally in 2015 and provincially in 2018
as the Green Party candidate in Kitchener—Conestoga.
Working with local social justice organizations has helped foster Bob’s
commitment to achieving the goals of equity and inclusion. His community
service includes work with the WRNonviolence Day In The Park, KWPeace,
and as an active member of the Social Development Council of Waterloo
Region. Bob has volunteered with the PTA, worked to save Victoria Glen
Park from development, fought the placement of a biogas mega plant in
downtown Elmira, and served on the Elmira BioFuel Citizens’ Committee.
In his spare time Bob enjoys participating at CKMS-FM, the local
community radio station where he is on the Board of Directors.
Bob’s digital community service includes organizing and giving
presentations at computer user group meetings. As a long time member of
the Free Software community, Bob encourages the use of software that
respects computer users’ freedom. He’s a strong advocate for transparent
government and freely available Open Data in government and business,
balanced with protection of personal privacy through cryptography and
safe online practices.
Professionally, Bob is a small business owner providing computer
consulting, technical support and training to large and small Ontario
businesses.
Born in the Netherlands and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Bob and
Laurel chose to move to Elmira to raise their son twenty years ago.
Bob’s commitment to the Green Party is rooted in shared values that have
inspired his work to enact positive change for a stronger democracy and
a sustainable future.
2019 Candidate Nominations #KitCen #Wloo
Last week’s WRGreens PreNomination Social was a fabulous success.
WRGreens will be holding 2 nomination meetings. The first will be a combined meeting for Kitchener Centre and Waterloo. Today—Monday February 4th, 2019— is the last day to join the Green Party and be eligible to vote to choose which of these nominees will be the 2019 Green Party Candidate!
This is the lineup of 2019 GPC nominees for Kitchener Centre:
And here are the GPC candidate nominees for Waterloo.
Over the next month, each of the nominees will be asked to tell you a little bit about themselves here. We’ll also be publishing videos for each on the WRGreens YouTube page.
The Candidate Nomination will take place on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 7:00pm – 8:30pm.
You must live in the riding and attend the nomination meeting in person to vote.
You can register on the Eventbright page here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/green-party-nominations-for-waterloo-and-kitchener-centre-tickets-54805128615
or on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/497935980731834/
Don’t forget: today is the last day to join the Green Party of Canada to choose the 2019 Kitchener Centre and Waterloo candidates!
TONIGHT #WRGreens at Fresh Ground
This is the beginning of a big year for the Green Party in Waterloo Region! We’re gearing up to run a slate of strong candidates committed to putting sustainable policies at the forefront of the 2019 federal election.
Our first step is selecting our candidates. Join us for this social as we meet the candidate nominees for our Waterloo Region ridings. It looks like at least Waterloo and Kitchener-Centre will have contested nominations, which means members will choose which candidate represents them.
This will be a fun and social evening, including musical guests Sammy Duke and Yvonne & Rob. Donations to support the musicians and prepare for the campaigns will be welcome.
Not a Green Party member? You’re especially welcome! You can learn more about the Greens, our values and priorities. There will be an opportunity to sign up as a member in time to vote in the nominations starting March 6.
Looking forward to great conversations tonight!
Thursday, January 31st, 2019
7:00 – 9:00pm
at Fresh Ground ~ 256 King St E, Kitchener
Catch a Green Wave
Excitement in the Green community is at an all time high: the Green movement is growing. You may already be part of it without even realizing it! Every conversation you have about our communities, economies, and environment builds the impetus toward change. We’re seeing an appetite for a green future beyond anything we’ve seen in past elections… and this one hasn’t even begun!
WTGreens are growing a people-powered movement in Waterloo Region to elect our first Green MPs!
You’re invited to our 2019 WRGreens Candidate preNomination Social
Thursday, January 31st
7:00 – 9:00pm
at Fresh Ground ~ 256 King St E, Kitchener
People from all parties and backgrounds are invited to come find out how we will make the community, economy, and environment our priority.
WRGreens believe our only credible path toward a healthy and robust future for our region and our country is decisive action: we need to start electing Green MPs. We have all the tools and solutions. All we need do is choose to act together. Be part of the solution by joining the first wave of this movement as we build toward the October election!
Come meet Waterloo Region’s Green Party candidate nominees
So far we have half a dozen declared candidate nominees for Kitchener Centre, and we may have contested nominations in all 5 ridings! This is your chance to find out what our potential Waterloo Region Greens candidates are working for, and why they’ve committed to running under the Green banner in 2019! If you are interested in throwing your hat in the ring (or know someone else who might be) for the riding of
contact WRGreens Nominations Chair Kris Braun at kris.braun@greenparty.ca
Our first combined nomination meeting will take place on March 6th, when GPC members of the Kitchener Centre and Waterloo EDAs will choose their candidates. Then In April, we’ll host the combined meeting for Kitchener South–Hespeler, Kitchener–Conestoga, and Cambridge candidates.
If you’re not a member yet, before you can vote for the next Green Party Candidate in your riding, you’ll need to join the party. You can purchase your $10 membership online before the preNomination Social, or you can wait and do it at the event.
Whether you’re a GPC member or a friend, this will be a great opportunity to grab a coffee, listen to music, and get to know each other. Families are welcome.
Facebook Event Page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/382995449117240/
RSVPs are appreciated so we can be sure to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend. Sign up for this free event on the
Eventbright Page: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/waterloo-region-greens-pre-nomination-kickoff-tickets-54805419485
coming soon:
Joint Nomination Meeting for the Kitchener Centre and Waterloo Electoral District Associations
- What: WRGreens Regular Meeting and Joint Nomination Meeting
- When: Wednesday, March 6th, 2019
- Where: To Be Determined
- Cutoff for new memberships would be Monday, February 4th, 2019
Joint Nomination Meeting for Kitchener South–Hespeler, Kitchener–Conestoga, and Cambridge Electoral District Associations
- What: WRGreens Regular Meeting and Joint Nomination Meeting
- When: First week of April
- Where: To Be Determined
- Cutoff for new memberships will be in the March, 30 days before the nomination contest.
Whose Democracy Is It?Canada needs meaningful electoral reform:…
Whose Democracy Is It?
Canada needs meaningful electoral reform:
39% of the votes should = 39% of the seats in Parliament.
Our Liberal Government – that campaigned on making every vote count seems to be trying to weasel out of this important campaign promise. Instead of following the recommendation of the ERRE Committee, the Government has sent postcards to every Canadian household (at great expense).
The postcards ask Canadians are to complete a deeply problematic survey which requires participants to sacrifice an unreasonable amount of personal privacy in order to have our input included. The Government’s own website gives a little background, and then redirects us to the corporate website of the marketing firm we are expected to share such personal information as our household income. This is supposed to be okay, because we are not required to tell them our name. Except the personally identifiable information we are required to share is sufficient for Vox Pop Labs to ensure the answers made by multiple people completing the survey at the same address are distinct individuals. This means the personal data we’re required to surrender is far more invasive than simply giving our names would be.
Postcards
Because Ms. Monsef says she didn’t hear the vast majority of Canadians who attended her cross Canada tour say we want Proportional Representation it is very important Canadians tell the government *again*
At the Green Party Meeting in Calgary last week, Operation Postcard parties to be held in our communities throughout the festive season were suggested. To make the process easier, my friend Bonnie North helped develop tools to make participation easier.
Fair Vote Canada has also set up a website intended to help Canadians navigate the convoluted survey at mycanadiandemocracy.ca/
But for me, the negatives attached to the mydemocracy.ca online survey make it difficult to recommend Canadians engage in the Government’s dubious exercise, particularly in light of concern the aim of the survey is to provide justification to back away from meaningful reform.
Because of this, many people have opted to use the postcards the government sends us to send our own message to Prime Minister Trudeau and the Minister of Democratic institutions, Maryam Monsef. There is white space on the cards where we can write “Please keep your promise – Canada needs Proportional Representation” and address the postcard back to Parliament:
Prime Minster Justin Trudeau
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
There are many variations on this theme, some of which can be found under the Twitter #OperationPostcard hashtag. But since only a single postcard is being sent to each Canadian household, those of in homes with more than one citizen are limited to a single opportunity to express a preference with the postcard. But fear not! If there are more people in your household who would like to offer an opinion, or even if you haven’t received your postcard yet in the mail, the Green Party provides an opportunity to print your own copy of the postcard at home here.
Fair Vote Canada has a “All I Want For Christmas is Proportional Representation” postcard they advocate we send to the Prime Minister, Minister Monsef and our MPs. Since I can’t find a link to it, I’ve made my own, which are (naturally) free culture, so there will be no problem getting them printed due to copyright.
4x6″ Postcard
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laurelrusswurm/30816448033/
8.5″ x 11″ Christmas Card
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laurelrusswurm/30785140034/
2 smaller Christmas Cards printed on 8.5″ x 11″ card stock
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laurelrusswurm/31510916191/
Remember: Postage is free when we mail anything to MPs!
If you haven’t used Flickr before, there is a down arrow on far right side of the menu bar below the photo. For printable quality images, choose Original size.
A Better Survey:
Because the government survey fails on so many levels, the Green Party has put together its own survey so Canadians can answer
It’s packaged in an online tool so we can send to our own responses ~ along with an optional personalized message ~ direct to Maryam Monsef, The Minister of Democratic Institutions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
I sincerely hope every Canadian takes this opportunity to make our preferences known to the government. You don’t even have to be a GPC member or even a supporter to fill this survey out… it’s being offered as a public service.
Proportional Representation isn’t about what is in the best interest of political parties, it’s for us. Adopting Proportional Representation will benefit all Canadians because no matter which system is chosen, it will make our votes count – which will make our government more accountable. And that’s good.
[If you’re just tuning into the conversation, find out more in my Whoa!Canada Proportional Representation for Canada series
