Our Message

Mission Statement:
The World Federalist Movement - Canada (WFMC) promotes global governance that is democratically accountable and based on the rule of law.

WFMC, as part of the international World Federalist Movement, is a non-profit organization of Canadians working for global economic and legal justice, peace and ecological sustainability by promoting the application of the principles of democratic federalism to world affairs.

Federalism is a way for political communities - local, regional, national and international - to act together on matters of common concern, while retaining their identifies and legitimate rights.

- we are non-partisan, promoting how to make fairer decisions more than what decisions should be. Exceptions include issues that affect or contradict federalist democratic approach to decisions and to conflict resolution, e.g., nuclear weapons proliferation, ballistic missile defence, Iraq invasion unauthorized by the UN.

- this focus on a fairer way to make decisions rather than on decisions themselves is very unusual among NGOs. We don’t push a viewpoint, rather how everyone’s viewpoint can be better heard.

- rare in that positive and constructive - less protest, more promotion of alternatives.

- WFMC is one of 23 national WF organizations that are members of the international World Federalist Movement. WFMC has a federal structure itself, with local branches.

How to Say It

- explain how our ideas could touch people’s lives e.g., if the ICC deters a future Hitler, Pol Pot or Saddam, huge numbers of lives could be saved. Or if a WTO Parliamentary Assembly affirmed the overriding importance of publicly run water systems, international rules might adjust and avoid the many local struggles;

- use metaphors that shape abstracts into recognizable forms, e.g., we are the ounce of prevention that can save many pounds of cure. Even the far more common cure-NGOs often come only with bandaids or simply protest a specific wound. WF-ism can help avoid many types of wounds altogether, saving huge costs of suffering and treatment.

-use familiar federalism examples: European Union is European federalism, a huge improvement over European-based world wars of the 20^th century. The new African Union is African federalism. Nations are still sovereign for most issues but citizens get a say in continental issues too; as we in a federalist system vote both provincially and nationally. USA could be to the world as California is to USA: richer than most, contributing creative technology and culture but not telling people in any state how to run their state, being represented in the common government institutions proportional to their population, requiring no armies to defend itself from neighbouring states.

- build from simple principles and historic precedent. Might does not make right and often loses in the long run: encourages antagonism and terrorism; an ultimate war would be nuclear, ruining victim and victor. If force can’t settle disputes, what can? Most countries have replaced tribal warfare with laws made by representative governments and enforced by a judicial system. Just extend the concept to global issues and disputes. Upper Canada went from Family Compact to responsible government; globally we’re due for the same.

- stress that we bring a message of hope - that historically humankind has dealt with increasing scales of organization (family, tribe, city state, region, nation) that accompany technological advances with systems of governance including many forms of democracy. We are equally capable of extending that one more step globally. Like slavery, we can make war obsolete. Human and economic savings will be huge. We do not need to sacrifice our diversity but can enhance it with subsidiarity¹.

- stress the importance of each person’s participation. Many structural solutions are well researched and known, e.g., the principles and methods to avoid another Rwandan genocide; main need is political will. That is each citizen, especially in rich influential democracies.

Do’s

- if people object to the concept of world government, explain we have one now - but it’s undemocratic and intrusive - often bureaucrats making decisions based either on narrow national or corporate interests; some like WTO decisions, affecting what even municipalities can do without any say. The world has globalization without representation. We are proposing a system that gives citizens more say in decisions that affect their lives - both by adding citizen representation in issues of global scope to moderate the influence of bureaucrats and huge companies; and by reducing the intrusion of global institutions in local affairs, leaving local decisions to local citizens

- give examples of success: e.g. ICC, growing number of international treaties

- speak in terms of the other person’s or the group’s interests and experience

- make sure of accuracy - check the web site

Don’ts

- don’t just focus on the global governance aspect of WF - include the decentralization aspect of federalism - more local issues will be dealt with by the local citizens¹.

- don’t just stop at saying we need more international law - it could be more WTO type law. We need more international law AND citizen representation in what the law says.

- don’t call our proposals world government, but democratic global governance

- don’t sound too naive about government solving all ills - work instead from the idea that decisions should be as local as possible which includes by individuals as much as possible, bringing in government only when a community of some scale is affected, and even then limiting the government power by maximum accountability.

- don’t speculate. If a question arises on a WF angle you don’t know about, say so rather than risking undermined credibility

- don’t bash national sovereignty - WF tries to ensure less interference into national issues, limiting global decisions to global issues.

- don’t attack disarmament movement; note WF would encourage disarmament

- don’t be too critical of protest movements. Protest is necessary. WF can be complementary to protest by proposing alternatives to people awakened by the protest.

- don’t be too pushy. Some of these ideas need to gestate for a while.

- don’t tell others they are wrong. Build instead from points of agreement.

Some Possible Slogans – All starting with “World Federalism:”

Globalization With Representation

World Community of Communities

Security Through Justice

More Effective United Nations

Laws Not Bombs

Governance for a Fairer, Safer World

Accountable Local, National AND Global Decisions

Convert WMD to Welcome Mass Democracy

Minimal Centralization: Maximum Democracy

A 3D World: Democracy, Diversity, Decentralization

Separate Nations: United World

Alliance Earth

Bump the Bombs: Lobby for Laws

Move from World Feudalism to World Federalism

Decision Network for Spaceship Earth

Steering Together To Our Common Future

1. Subsidiarity is the principle that a decision should be made at the most local level possible to deal with the main consequences of the decision. Another way of saying this: a central authority should consider only issues that have major implications reaching beyond more local jurisdictions. This principle maximizes decentralization while ensuring affected citizens have a say. It means global institutions should deal only with clearly global issues. Subsidiarity and democracy are the basic principles of world federalism.

Prepared by Elizabeth Snell, April 2004

World Federalists of Canada - Vancouver Branch

e-mail [email protected]

URL: http://www.vcn.bc.ca/wfcvb/comwf_es.html