We’ve been busy in the first half of 2021

With inequality soaring, Leadnow members agree that everyone deserves to have enough to live a decent life. So tens of thousands of us jumped into action to convince MPs to make basic income a top priority at the Liberal and NDP conventions this past spring.

Together, the Leadnow community:

• Shared powerful, personal video messages in support of a basic income – which we turned into a powerful video ad on social media and The Hill Times,
• Sent over 13,560 emails calling on MPs to vote to prioritize basic income,
• Flooded their phone lines with over 690 calls, and
• Demonstrated mass support for basic income with a petition signed by over 52,000 people!
• Launched a media campaign to get basic income in the news – and our op-ed was published

We also worked to get basic income into the headlines – check out this op-ed on basic income, penned by our Campaigns Manager Claire!

Your pressure worked. The Liberal Party voted to prioritize basic income at their policy convention. We made huge progress — but it’s not over. This summer, we’ll be working to hold MPs accountable to their basic income commitment – stay tuned!

We campaigned to make the proposed Bill C-12 a world-class climate law.
On top of 25,852 petition signatures calling for critical changes to the bill, you sent over 6000 letters to key politicians calling on them to support key changes to C-12. We launched homepage takeover ads in crucial MPs’ ridings, submitted Leadnow members’ personal stories to the Environment Committee, and made hundreds of calls to MP offices.

Right now, Conservative MPs are trying to delay the bill into oblivion — so we’re mobilizing the Leadnow community to ramp up pressure on MPs until the bill passes.Live in a Conservative riding? Click here to email your MP now!  All other ridings: click here. 

We launched a campaign to demand RBC walks the talk of real climate action.
The worst fossil bank in Canada, RBC, pumps billions into the fossil fuel industry while making empty promises on climate. It’s why the Leadnow community launched a massive campaign alongside allies at Banking on a Better Future, Stand.earth, North99, and Greenpeace, to expose RBC’s fossil fuel financing and bring shareholders, customers, and employees on our side. And we’ve been busy! Over the past few months:

• More than 75,000 people have signed our joint petition
• Volunteers have adopted 35 RBC branches (with more rolling in!) to engage with RBC employees over the summer
• You crowdfunded powerful ads to go all over the CBC Business section, and directly targeting RBC executives on Linkedin
• Over 600 people joined the inaugural Peoples’ AGM revealing RBC’s true impact on climate and Indigenous rights
• Volunteers led more than 70 chalking actions outside of RBC branches!

There’s a lot more fun in store for this summer as we continue to talk to RBC employees. Find out how to join the fun by clicking here.

We’re standing with frontline allies to protect BC’s last remaining old-growth
When it became clear that Premier Horgan was dragging his feet on his campaign promise to protect at-risk old-growth, we leapt into action to support our frontline allies blocking loggers from cutting down BC’s last ancient trees.

• 15,396 people in BC signed a petition demanding protection for ancient trees
• You helped crowdfund a hard-hitting billboard ad on the busiest highway on Vancouver Island demanding Premier Horgan act now
• We also crowdfunded a full page ad calling Premier Horgan out for his inaction in BC’s most-read newspaper, The Vancouver Sun. Keep your eyes out for the ad this weekend!

We’re blocking the Ford government’s attempt to ram through the destructive Highway 413
When we heard that Doug Ford was trying to ram through a mega-highway and pave over a critical section of Ontario’s pristine Greenbelt, the Leadnow community jumped in to stop him.

25,852 Ontarians signed our petition calling for a halt to the project. The public outcry about the project – from us and alongside efforts from Environmental Defense – helped nudge the federal government to order an environmental assessment of the highway, effectively putting the brakes on the destructive project. Now, we’re crowdfunding a huge billboard to share the impacts of the highway far and wide — click here to chip in.

Instead of providing workers proper paid sick leave, the Ford government prioritized profits and slashing services. It meant that in the middle of a pandemic, workers had to make the impossible choice between putting food on the table, or going to work sick.

So together, over 45,000 Leadnow members signed the petition calling for paid sick days. You flooded the inboxes of Premer Ford and key cabinet ministers with over 13,000 messages and you made 800 calls for fully paid, universal, adequate and accessible sick days. We even fundraised for powerful Facebook ads seen by over a million Ontarians.

It worked. Because of a year’s worth of advocacy from frontline advocates, medical professionals and thousands of Leadnow members like you, Doug Ford finally announced that his government would legislate three paid sick days.