The 2015 Federal election is well underway and while casting a vote on October 19^th is very important there is more that can and should be done; now is the time for the Jewish and pro-Israel community to get engaged by volunteering.

There are two main reasons our community needs to get engaged: demographics and geography. Demographically speaking, the Jewish population represents just over 1% of the total Canadian population. There are also only a handful of ridings where there is a strong community presence – only 3% of the total number of 338!

This means that in order for the Jewish and pro-Israel community to make an impact beyond its numbers we need to be strategic and get engaged in record numbers.

This is where CJPAC can help. We are a multi-partisan organization whose mandate is to encourage community members to get involved in the democratic process by volunteering with the candidate or campaign of their choice.

Volunteers are key to any successful campaign; they are also hard to come by, which means that just showing up can make a significant difference – even a few hours goes a long way! When pundits talk about a campaign having a good ‘ground game’ they are referring to the deployment of volunteers and their ability to drive their supporters to the polling booth. You can singlehandedly impact the outcome in a close race.

Campaigns desperately need people for all kinds of tasks: envelope stuffing, door knocking, making phone calls, putting up lawn signs, identifying and getting voters to polling stations on Election Day.

If you are worried because you have never volunteered before, CJPAC can help with that! We provide lots of training and materials that can be of use before walking into a campaign office for the first time.

Being a campaign volunteer can be a lot of fun and very rewarding. It’s a great opportunity for community members of all ages to do something meaningful. For those still in school, joining a campaign can count toward your high school volunteer hours.

It is important to volunteer not only for friends in local ridings but also in ridings where our community does not have much of a presence, where there are close races and with friends in all parties. CJPAC can help by connecting community members with campaigns across the country – there is so much ground to cover.

We have been extremely fortunate that all three major political parties in Canada have shown support for both Israel and the Jewish community, but we cannot become complacent. We must remain active in the political arena, and volunteering is an excellent way to build key relationships.

During the 2011 election, CJPAC helped connect 900 volunteers with campaigns across the country in all major political parties.

By becoming a volunteer and working with us to connect you with the candidate or campaign of your choice, you can help not only our democracy but also our community – ensuring that we have a large impact on October 19^th and beyond.

For more information on how to make your mark this election season, please visit our new election website itsup2you.ca or contact us at [email protected] or 1.866.929.9552.

We look forward to seeing you all on the campaign trail in the weeks to come.

Jonathan Bloomberg

Chair, CJPAC

Mark Waldman
Executive Director, CJPAC