How do we include people in the decision making process?

How do we get he elites to share the decision making power? \

Alex: The single most effective way to reign in political elites: make it in their self interest.

Tying the expectations to elections.

Corporate interests controlling the agenda instead of citizens?

Is power the right word? We should be seeking those that want to govern.

 + powersharing between political parties. 

Problem: how do we get things done? We gave the power to our elected officals. 

"I did not give corporations power to influence politicians." Response: you need to get involved and participate. e.g. Spruce Grove council acclamations. 

The representatives have been captured by certain special interests? Where does the power reside? 

No kumbaya. Referendums? Plebiscites? The example of California. Only 20% of the buget is controlled by the elected officials. e.g. prop 8 tyranny of the majority taking away the right of gay people to marry.

Direct democracy vs. elected officials.

How do we get more people involved?

MLA Blakeman: you can recognize the difference between true concerns and campaigns.

Transparency of decision making to encourage participation: what information are political leaders basing their decisions on?

E.g. 50 citizens contribute to prioritizing budget areas: "Edmonton Citizens Panel." Council approved the report.

How do we incent people to get involved (outside of elections)?  People don't get involved because they're busy living their lives.

"Government needs a simple user intterface that encourages participation."

There's a learning curve and participatory curve. How can people participate beyond just voting?

People are prepared to vote whenb they are interested / engaged: Election voting #'s vs. American Idol voting #'s. 

Chris: Changecamp is a demonstration of the passionate people creating new systems. We need to spread the word about that. #bill44 example. Citizens got in the debate, brought it into the living rooms.

Communication tools are an important part.

Bev: Is power a pie? can we grow the pie? Zero sum?

 Ending the vicious cycle of disenfrancisement and resulting apathy. Transparency of the decision making proceess is key (in Andrew's opinion) .

How do you set the common ground?  "A focused conversation"

MLA Blakeman on Bill 44: Facebook as a vehicle for comments and feedback. First attempt.

Did all the bill 44 conversation even lead to anything? Gov't seemed very dismissive of the conversation.e.g. Lindsay Blackett snide comment.

Duncan W. felt more politically powerful participating in the bill 44 debate than working in the party infrastructure.

Jen: Even though the institution was dimissive of the conversation, it created a community. We're here today. 

The building of the community made the engagement a success. 

How do we reimagine the system we want?

Sometimes everyone can't agree on a shared set of facts.

Partisanship? How do we limit it? How do we encourage power sharing and cooperation among parties?

The change might take a while: How do we inspire youth? How do ensure that small voices are heard and their opinions are considered? 

How do we structure the system to not reward partisanship like it does now and to instead reward cooperation, good governance and participation?