Join a Council of Canadians chapter, evidence shows protests

Join a Council of Canadians chapter, evidence shows protests

Postby Oscar » Tue Mar 07, 2017 11:45 am

Join a Council of Canadians chapter, evidence shows protests make a difference

[ http://canadians.org/blog/join-council- ... difference ]

March 6, 2017 - 3:15 pm

The Council of Canadians organizes and participates in numerous protests every year.

And while a government or corporation that concedes on an issue would never admit that protests contributed to their decision to do so - and others argue that protests have no impact whatsoever or even actively disparage them - the evidence is mounting that protests do make a difference.

In an opinion piece published by the CBC today, freelance writer Rosemary Westwood comments, "The fact is, protests seem to change minds and shift public opinion. And that's why, for many, it makes sense to slander the movements they dislike."

She cites both Black Lives Matter and Idle No More protests as examples.

Westwood notes, "A striking example of the power of protest is that of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., the existence of which has been correlated with a dramatic shift in American perceptions of systemic racism. In 2015, 59 per cent of Americans polled by the Pew Research Centre said they think the country needs to do more to bring equal rights to white and black Americans — up from 49 per cent only a year earlier. That's not definitive proof, but it would be hard to deny the impact of protests — such as that over the death of Freddie Gray, who died in police custody in April 2015 — has had on public awareness of race issues in the U.S."

And she adds, "We've seen the same trends in Canada over perceptions of Indigenous issues. In 2013, a majority of Canadians didn't support Idle No More protests and believed Indigenous Canadians were the authors of their own suffering. By 2016 — after years of demonstrations, coupled with the tabling of the widely publicized Truth and Reconciliation report — those views began to shift, and an Environics Institute poll found one quarter of Canadians said their views of Indigenous peoples had improved."

Polling has also shown that protests are popular among people in this country. In 2012, an Environics poll found that 62 per cent supported the Occupy movement; that same poll found that 56 per cent supported the protests in Quebec over increased tuition fees for students, the provincial austerity agenda, and attacks on the environment; and a Nanos poll found that 40.6 per cent support Idle No More, with the relatively high finding of 13.9 per cent without an opinion. Forty per cent is roughly the same level of popular support that elected the current federal Liberal government.

And Quartz reports, "A clever analysis by economists from Harvard University and Stockholm University finds that protests do in fact have a major influence on politics, just not in the way you might think. Their research shows that protest does not work because big crowds send a signal to policy-makers—rather, it’s because protests get people politically activated."

Furthermore, The Guardian reports, "Historical studies suggest that it takes 3.5 per cent of a population engaged in sustained nonviolent resistance to topple brutal dictatorships. If that can be true in Chile under Gen Pinochet and Serbia under Milosevic, a few million Americans could prevent their elected government from adopting inhumane, unfair, destructive or oppressive policies."

One way to engage in community organizing, become politically activated and help make needed change is to join a Council of Canadians chapter.

For information on how to do so, please click here:
[ http://canadians.org/chapters ]

Tags: chapters
[ http://canadians.org/tags/chapters

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
Oscar
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Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Re: Join a Council of Canadians chapter, evidence shows prot

Postby Oscar » Tue Mar 07, 2017 5:06 pm

17 chapters have 3,860 followers on Twitter

[ http://canadians.org/blog/17-chapters-h ... rs-twitter ]

March 7, 2017 - 7:20 am

@CanadiansWPG

Council of Canadians chapters across the country are active on social media, including Twitter.

They share information about their events, concerns in their community and region, and retweet blogs, media releases, online action alerts and more coming from the Ottawa office of The Council of Canadians.

To follow Council of Canadians chapters on Twitter, please go to:

Pacific region
Victoria chapter @cocvic
Kamloops chapter @CoCkamloops
Vancouver-Burnaby chapter @VanCofCDNs
Mid Island chapter @MidIslandCoC

Comox Valley chapter @ComoxValleyCOC

Prairies-NWT region
Winnipeg chapter @CanadiansWPG
Calgary chapter @CalgaryCoC
NorthWest Territories chapter @cocnwt
Red Deer chapter @CoCRedDeer

Ontario-Quebec region
London chapter @londoncoc
Sudbury chapter @CofCSUDBURY
Ottawa chapter @OttawaCofC
Toronto chapter @TorontoCoC
Northumberland County chapter @cocnchapter
Centre Wellington @canadians_cw

Atlantic region
North Shore chapter @nsnscoc
St. John's @StJohnsCoC

You can also follow The Council of Canadians at @CouncilofCDNs, chairperson Maude Barlow at @MaudeBarlow, and me at @CBrentPatterson.

Tags: chapters
[ http://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
Oscar
Site Admin
 
Posts: 9079
Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Re: Join a Council of Canadians chapter, evidence shows prot

Postby Oscar » Thu Mar 16, 2017 10:16 am

The Council of Canadians seeks to inform, connect and engage

[ http://canadians.org/blog/council-canad ... and-engage ]

March 16, 2017 - 8:55 am

The Council of Canadians believes if we help to build an informed, connected, and engaged movement, we can hold in check corporate agendas and create the social and political change we need.

What do we do?

Inform
1- provide updates and analysis in daily campaign blogs
2- produce timely reports to deepen awareness and understanding of the issues
3- develop fact sheets and handimation videos to build popular awareness
4- provide expertise on issues within our core campaign areas
5- offer clear alternatives and positive solutions

Connect
6- provide timely interventions in the media (media releases, op-eds) and in public venues (deputations, presentations)
7- amplify campaign demands and analysis via social media

Engage
8- provide opportunities to take action via online action alerts
9- offer the means to participate in grassroots action ‎via our chapters
10- ‎organize mobilizing tours and days of action
11- ‎express solidarity with First Nations, Indigenous allies, local communities to help to amplify the message of our shared struggles
12- support and participate in direct action

For more, please see Our vision, history and current campaigns [ http://canadians.org/blog/our-vision-hi ... -campaigns ], Ten positive alternatives The Council of Canadians promotes [ http://canadians.org/blog/ten-positive- ... s-promotes ] and Join a Council of Canadians chapter, evidence shows protests makes a difference [ http://canadians.org/blog/join-council- ... difference ].

Join us by making a donation and/or by participating in a chapter!

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
Oscar
Site Admin
 
Posts: 9079
Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Re: Join a Council of Canadians chapter, evidence shows prot

Postby Oscar » Fri Mar 17, 2017 11:59 am

19 chapters join online discussion on member engagement

[ http://canadians.org/blog/19-chapters-j ... engagement ]

March 17, 2017 - 12:20 pm

Nineteen Council of Canadians chapters took part in an online conference call last night to discuss how chapters involve members in their shared work.

The Comox Valley, Vancouver, Edmonton, Quill Plains (Wynyard), Regina, Calgary, Northwest Territories, Northumberland, Hamilton, Ottawa, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Peel Region, Quinte, South Niagara, Toronto, Windsor, and Kent County chapters joined the one-hour call hosted by organizers Robin Tress and Diane Connors.

The discussion was initiated in part because more than 2,200 people said in a recent survey we conducted that they would be interested in participating in a local chapter.

The questions that were posed to facilitate a peer-exchange of practices and experiences included:
• Think of when you first got involved in the Council, or when you got engaged on a deeper level (ex: moved from casual supporter to chapter activist). What made you take that step?
• What does your chapter actively do to engage new people and make sure they stick around?
• What needs do you have for new members? If someone keen joined tomorrow, what would be the most useful thing for them to do?

The discussion brought forward individual stories and experiences, chapter history, challenges and concerns, best practices, innovative ideas, political opportunities, a shared commitment to making political change, as well as the understanding that community, social connection and fun are core to the experience of being a chapter activist.

Extensive notes were taken and the discussion itself was recorded to enable chapters to share it among themselves as a resource and to facilitate further conversations.

Emails will be sent shortly to survey respondents to provide them with the information to contact their local chapter.

For more on our organizing model, please see Join a Council of Canadians chapter, evidence shows protests make a difference [ http://canadians.org/blog/join-council- ... difference ] and The Council of Canadians seeks to inform, connect and engage. [ http://canadians.org/blog/council-canad ... and-engage ]

To read daily blogs about chapter actions across the country, please click here:
[ http://canadians.org/community ]

You can also connect with chapters via Twitter:
[ http://canadians.org/blog/17-chapters-h ... rs-twitter ]

Tags: chapters
[ http://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
Oscar
Site Admin
 
Posts: 9079
Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm


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