Cobourg Council – Cobourg Council Takes the Pledge
By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Cobourg council voted to take the Elect Respect pledge at Wednesday’s special meeting.
With fewer people voting and running for office identified as a concern by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s Healthy Democracy Project, the group HER was formed in 2024. Halton Elected Representatives was a group of female elected representatives from across Halton which pledged to speak out against harassment and negativity in politics, and call on elected officials to uphold the highest standard of conduct.
The result was a campaign called Elect Respect and, last June, the Canadian Association of Feminist Parliamentarians to launch a non-partisan Parliamentary Civility Pledge modeled on the HER pledge to encourage all parliamentarians to commit to end workplace harassment and increase civility
One HER member, Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, attended the meeting on ZOOM to say that the campaign is spreading across the nation
“The unfortunate news is why we have to do this in the first place,” Ward said.
The pledge started in Halton among women enduring “harassment, abuse and threats of violence, including some threats of deaths.
“We realized everyone had a story about that,” she added, noting several elected officials who have been forced from office to escape this atmosphere.
“No one should have to be told, as I was earlier this year, not to go to a public meeting because someone had threatened to set me on fire and police could not guarantee my safety.”
The important thing is always to lead by example, Ward said.
“This is a nationwide movement now. People are saying, ‘I want a better democracy. I want good people to run for elective office. I want them to stay.’ And in order for that to happen, we have to make sure they have a safe workplace.”
Mayor Lucas Cleveland – who said he has received threats of all kinds – said he had already taken the pledge independently.
As a former journalist, Ward said, “I believe in a free, fair, vigourous exchange of ideas.
“The litmus test is really are you commenting on a person or are you commenting on a policy or a procedure. If it’s a person, you are veering into disrespectful behaviour. It’s more respectful for your own opinion to frame it in a way that persuades people, gives people a reason why your opinion is the right one. If all you have is personal attacks, that’s not persuasive.”
In supporting the pledge, council commits to the following:
To treat others with respect in public and private spaces, as well as on-line
To reject and call out harassment, abuse and personal attacks
To focus debate on ideas and policies, not personal attacks
To help build a supportive culture where those of all backgrounds feel safe to run for and hold office
To call on relevant authorities to ensure the protection of elected officials who face abuse and threats
To model integrity and respect by holding one another to the highest standards of conduct
