Ottawa Peace Calendar* October 1988
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Ottawa Peace Calendar * October 1988 |
by Darrell Rankin
Can politicians ignore the peace vote? In the 1984 election, two ridings in Eastern Ontario were decided by a margin of less than one hundred votes. It looks like there will be much closer contests between all parties in this election.
So far, 75,000 voters across Canada have pledged to vote for new peace policy candidates in the next federal election. In mid-September, the Canadian Peace Pledge Campaign in Eastern Ontario had the support of 380 voters in 10 of the 14 area ridings.
Recently, over 140 volunteers in these ten ridings received campaign materials and the campaign is gaining strength. Pledge responses more than tripled in August compared to July.
Ottawa Centre has almost half of the voters who have joined the Peace Pledge Campaign in Eastern Ontario. Ottawa Vanier is in second spot with 16% of the total number, and a fifth of that number is from Vanier or Rockcliffe Park (the rest of the riding is part of Ottawa).
Lanark-Carleton is third with 8% of the total. Support here is spread very evenly in Perth, Almonte, Kanata, Smiths Falls and Stittsville and in rural areas from Lanark to McDonald's Corners to Carp.
Nepean, Ottawa West and Ottawa South are neck and neck, each with about 7% of the total. Carleton-Gloucester, with 6% of the total number, has Peace Pledge voters in cities and towns such as Gloucester, Orleans, Osgoode and Manotick. Kingston leads the way in the five ridings along the St. Lawrence River with half the total there.
Residents of Hull, Aylmer, Gatineau, Chelsea, Wakefield and Gracefield have signed up with the Peace Pledge Campaign in Western Québec.
Dozens of donations have helped the Ottawa Peace Council to keep up with the large demand for materials. Please direct requests for materials to the Council at P.O. Box 4936, Station E, Ottawa, K1S 5J1. French materials are available from the Alliance pour la paix du Québec, 5863 Avenue du Parc, Montréal, H2V 4G9.
A set of questions has been developed for candidates in the federal election. Before election day, Peace Pledge voters will receive the answers of candidates and political parties in their own riding. Pledge signers in Western Québec who have sent their pledges to the Peace Council will receive this information from the Council on behalf of the Alliance pour la paix. These answers may be of interest to other voters, too.
Converted March 17, 2002 - Lg
To follow up on this article, contact the author or the organizations/individuals mentioned; do not contact the Peace and Environment Resource Centre - we cannot provide follow up or contact information. This article is an archival copy of the printed one in the Peace and Environment News (PEN). Viewpoints expressed should not be taken to represent the opinions of the Peace and Environment Resource Centre, the PEN, or our supporters.
