Canadians to Rally for First Elected Head of State
OTTAWA, June 28, 2013 /CNW/ - Heading into Canada Day, Democracy Watch announces a satirical campaign calling on all Canadians to sign a petition to elect Stephen Colbert as King of Canada.
The goal is to rally at least 100,000 Canadians to visit www.colbertforking.ca, sign a petition and persuade Stephen Colbert to come to Ottawa later this summer to be crowned the King of Canada on Parliament Hill.
Behind this fun, provocative "Colbert For King" campaign is a more serious issue - namely, the need for an elected Canadian Head of State. The mass appeal campaign seeks to engage Canadians in rethinking the current system and question the British monarchy as our Head of State. It rallies for an elected Head of State who can challenge the government and enforce the Canadian Constitution.
"Queen Elizabeth and her representatives are purely symbolic officials who don't have the legitimate democratic power needed to stop abuses of power and lead our country," says Tyler Sommers, Coordinator of Democracy Watch. "We need Canadians to come together in support of an elected Head of State who has the democratic authority to enforce the constitution and uphold the public interest. Calling on Stephen Colbert to be elected as King of Canada is a spirited way to get attention and spark discussion."
The majority of Canadians agree with the need for an elected Head of State. A survey of 2,024 Canadians conducted by Harris-Decima in May 2012 shows that a majority of Canadians (55%) want to "change it up" and move towards an elected Canadian Head of State, while only 34% want to continue with a member of the British royal family.1
Democracy Watch invites Canadians to visit www.colbertforking.ca and sign the petition to elect Stephen Colbert as King of Canada. The hope is to raise awareness and start a new conversation towards change.
About Democracy Watch
Democracy Watch is a national non-profit, non-partisan organization, and Canada's leading citizen group advocating democratic reform, government accountability and corporate responsibility. Since it opened its doors in fall 1993 - it has won more than 110 changes to federal and provincial good government and corporate responsibility laws, many of which are world-leading. Visit www.democracywatch.ca for further details.
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1 http://ycyc-vcvc.ca/55-of-canadians-want-change-to-canadian-head-of-state-instead-of-continuing-with-any-member-of-the-british-royal-family/
SOURCE: Democracy Watch
For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Martha Grant - 416.302.4957, [email protected]
Tyler Sommers - 613.241.5179, [email protected]
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