Vote strategically to avoid anti-environment Harper government

Oct 6th, 2008 5:26 AM

NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release STRATEGIC VOTING TO AVOID ANTI-ENVIRONMENT HARPER GOVERNMENT RESONATING ACROSS THE COUNTRY VANCOUVER (Monday, October 6, 2008) – A strategic voting website has had over one million pageviews in just 12 days since it launched. Massive viral distribution has tapped into wide-based voter concern about another anti-environment Harper government. VoteForEnvironment.ca uses past election data, the most recent publicly-available polling data and local insight to project the likely outcome in all 308 ridings. It currently identifies 63 ridings where a Conservative victory can be stopped if progressive voters unite behind a single candidate to avoid vote-splitting. Support has poured in from organizations including the CAW and prominent individuals including Ron Sexsmith, Anne-Marie MacDonald, Anton Kuerti, Deepa Mehta and other well-known Canadians. Like-minded organizations including the CAW, Avaaz, the Department of Culture and Unisson Nos Voix have helped reach Canadians from coast to coast, of all political stripes. "VoteForEnvironment.ca gives me hope that I will wake up on October 15 and still recognize my country. We have more power than we think," says Canadian recording artist and songwriter Ron Sexsmith. "Response has been unbelievable! Canadians from all walks of life and all parts of the country are emailing VoteForEnvironment.ca to everyone they know," says project co-founder Kevin Grandia. "Party leaders and candidates can talk about whatever they want during the campaign but there's a massive on-line conversation going on here and they better take notice." VoteForEnvironment.ca and VoterPourlEnvironnement.org has truly gone viral. It is being circulated via emails, social networking sites, media and bloggers. For comparison, commercial sites with a million pageviews in a month are considered successful. "Sadly, both the air we breathe and the arts that nurture, question and celebrate who we are as a people are both in great jeopardy. Don't vote Conservative," says Canadian film-director and screenwriter, Deepa Mehta. β€œThe Harper government's climate change performance and policy will do nothing to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, leaving Canada more alone than ever on the world stage and out of step with Canadian's concerns and expectations." says project co-founder Alice Klein. "The tragedy that VoteForEnvironment.ca aims to avoid is vote-splitting and a minority of votes re-electing an anti-environment government.” -- 30 – For more information visit www.VoteForEnvironment.ca or www.VoterPourlEnvironnement.org Media contacts: Kevin Grandia 778-240-6343 Kevin@voteforenvironment.ca Alice Klein 647-828-4787