Submitted
To a small crowd on a very rainy Monday afternoon, the Nelson chapter of the Canadian Federation of University women joined with other CFUW clubs across the country to launch a national campaign advocating for civility in our political arena.
All of the Kootenay-Columbia candidates were invited to attend the launch and sign the pledge. Liberal candidate Robin Goldsbury confirmed she has taken the pledge, New Democrat Wayne Stetski expressed interest and desire to take the pledge, and Libertarian candidate Terry Tiessen, who attended the launch, said he will take the pledge.
Filmmaker Amy Bohigian and city councillor Brittny Anderson both spoke to the importance of this campaign and the challenges faced by women running for political office.
“One of the things I was most worried about when I was thinking about running was personal attacks, and it wasn’t just attacks on me, it was more attacks on potentially my family,” Anderson said.
“When I live in this town what I treasure most isn’t that everyone is like me, it’s that we have a diversity of opinion and we actually hold each other to a high standard of how we talk to each other,” Bohigian said.
The Better Ballot campaign asks both voters and federal candidates to sign the pledge. The pledge for both candidates and voters states:
I will lead by example and support positive, issues-based campaigns; never personally attack any candidate or citizen; not support people or organizations who attack anyone with comments based on gender, race, appearance, religion or status.
The Better Ballot Campaign is a non-partisan grassroots initiative working to bring civility and respect to our political discussions. The campaign is not about electing specific candidates or political parties. It is a way to encourage more diverse voices in politics.
To take the pledge go to thebetterballot.ca.