I just finished writing myself a "citizen mandate letter" -- my own personal action plan for the next session of Parliament, which is scheduled to begin on December 5.

It’s kind of like one of those “minister mandate letters” that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote to each of his cabinet ministers shortly after he came to power back in 2015, except, in this case, it’s a letter I wrote to myself.

I wrote this letter to remind myself that the actions citizens take in between elections are even more important than the actions they take during elections. I want the next government to make progress on three complex and interconnected issues -- the climate crisis, electoral reform, and income inequality. My plan spells out what I, as an ordinary citizen, can do to encourage them to make progress on all three fronts.

I’m sharing this letter with you in the hope that you will decide to write a similar letter to yourself. And if you do decide to write one, I'd love it if you'd share that letter with me. That way, we can inspire one another to turn our plans into action. I’ll be reporting back to you about my progress and I’d love to hear what you’re working on, too.

- Ann

Citizen Mandate Letter for Ann Douglas

During the upcoming session of session of Parliament, I will be doing everything in my power as a citizen to encourage our elected officials to make progress on the following three issues:

1. the climate crisis,

2. electoral reform, and

3. income inequality.

I am focusing my efforts on these three issues because, if we can make progress in these three areas, we’ll have the income needed to invested in other critically needed programs and services and to fund the transition to a greener and more just economy and we’ll have a voting system that ensures that everyone’s voice is heard (something that is critical for the health of our democracy).

I am highly motivated to take action on each of these issues because I feel like we’ve reached a make-it-or-break it point for our country and our world; and I really want us to make it. If we don’t make progress on these three issues, life is going to get a whole lot worse for a whole bunch of people — and likely irreversibly worse. Besides, it feels so much better to be actively trying to make things better as opposed to merely standing on the sidelines feeling hopeless. When it comes to a choice between hope and cynicism, I will choose hope every time.

Here are the specific actions that I commit to taking throughout the duration of the next Parliament.

I will request a face-to-face meeting with my Member of Parliament. I will plan to meet with her face-to-face to explain why it is so important to make progress on these three key issues. When I meet with her, I will make the case for taking action and, more specifically, I will spell out what her government—the ruling party—stands to gain by demonstrating leadership on all three fronts.

I will also write to other Members of Parliament. Cabinet Ministers, Committee Members, and other Parliamentarians who are working on these all-important issues need to hear from ordinary Canadians from across the country. I will ensure that my voice is one of the voices that is heard.

I will have ongoing conversations with my fellow citizens. I will connect with other people I know who are already working on my three top issues. But, in addition to that, I will make a conscious effort to connect with voters who felt that they had little choice but to vote strategically in the last election and who are still feeling angry and discouraged as a result. I want to help them to see that they still have an opportunity to make their voices heard in all kinds of powerful and far-reaching ways and that the time for action is now—before we find ourselves caught up in yet another voting cycle when they might once again be forced to perform electoral gymnastics in an attempt to make a badly broken voting system work.

I will continue to support the work being done by grassroots groups and non-profit organizations that are working to make progress on the issues that matter most to me. I’ll volunteer my time, make financial donations, and look for random opportunities to shine a spotlight on the important work they are doing.

I will continue to donate my time, energy, and money to the political party that is most in synch with my values. I want that political party to be in the strongest possible position, both financially and in terms of people power, by the time the next election is called. The only way that’s going to happen is if I support those efforts right now.

Our electoral system isn’t working nearly as well as it should in terms of representing the viewpoints of ordinary citizens. That means that we as individual citizens have to work harder—a whole lot harder—to ensure that our voices are heard. But it doesn’t have to be impossibly hard. Writing a few letters, making a few donations, scheduling a few meetings, and supporting the efforts of our fellow citizens to do likewise has the potential to make a big difference. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get started: to find tiny ways to make a big difference together.