Postmedia readers urged to let sparks fly
What does democracy in Canada look like? Postmedia has partnered with Samara Canada and Twitter to ask that question in the months leading up the federal election — and we need your help to answer it.
Our project is called Citizen-Sparks, and it will use the pages of our papers, the reach of Twitter and the strength of Samara’s Everyday Political Citizens to put real citizens at the centre of our coverage.
Our aim is to show that democracy requires ordinary citizens turning talk into action. Each Saturday in Postmedia papers, we’ll set out a challenge, or spark, to our readers. Samara will share the same mission with its Everyday Political Citizens, and as part of Twitter Canada’s commitment to promoting informed political discussion, they will ensure that it’s seen across social media.
Our first spark launches today, just in time for our nation’s 148th birthday. We’re asking you to show us your Canada. Our thinking is simple: before we decide the future of the country, we should understand the many ways we define its present. Do it in words or pictures as you celebrate this July 1, and share your results on Twitter using the hashtag #citizensparks or by email at sparks@postmedia.com
We’ll feature a selection of responses in Saturday’s papers, and we’ll announce the next spark.
This project is central to the mission of Samara Canada, a non-partisan charity dedicated to reconnecting citizens to politics, and its Everyday Political Citizen program, which aims to celebrate Canadians who get involved in politics.
In his farewell speech to the House of Commons on June 9, MP Gerald Keddy (South ShoreSt. Margaret’s, N.S.) ably described the issue that inspired this project.
“Here in Canada, we are a volunteering society,” he said. “People volunteer at their local legions, churches, and food banks, but it is somehow a dirty word to say that someone volunteers in politics. Quite frankly, shame on us, because those volunteers are the other part of the glue that binds this democracy together. We need to recognize them and thank them for their contribution to the work that goes on, whether it is the Parliament of Canada, the provincial and territorial legislatures, or the municipalities.”
With CitizenSparks, we hope to recognize those volunteers and encourage everyone else to join them. It’s often said of politics that if you aren’t at the table, you’re on the menu. This is our way of asking you to pull up a chair.