In the span of just two months, The Campaign to Build 'One Big Campaign' (CBOBC) has become a near-unavoidable presence for progressive Canadians on the internet. With its rapid-fire news updates, biting political cartoons and aggressive push for campaigns such as Blackout Speakout, the group is promoting progressive politics in ways that old-fashioned letter-writing never could.
From CBOBC site
With its impressive Facebook launch, the grassroots activist group plans to build campaigns that bring together different groups -- First Nations, environmentalists, labour, social justice activists -- under one big umbrella to defeat Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"CBOBC feels that the progressive forces are being beaten so badly that we must motivate groups and all Canadians to go all out now. We have no choice," reads the description on the website. "We dare not wait until 2015 – they could split the vote and win again."
Nick Fillmore, an award-winning investigative journalist who started the campaign, drew upon his experience as a member of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression working on campaigns with human rights activists based in Africa and Southeast Asia.
The need for "One Big Campaign" hit Fillmore last year, he explained, when he was working with the Catch 22 group last year to stop Harper's re-election.
"When he won the majority, I had a pretty good idea of what was coming," Fillmore recalled. "I felt we were going to enter the worst period in the history of Canada."
"When the Harper attacks began happening, what shocked me was the fact that there was no coming together of progressive forces. From what I could tell, there were no discussions, no meetings to discuss the need to build a common front and to develop common strategies and tactics that might at least slow down Harper."
From CBOBC site
Last fall, he said, when many groups seemed to be more fearful of the government than angry, Fillmore began developing ideas through his blog, A Different Point of View. He met with like-minded activists who agreed that a hub was needed to begin uniting the progressive forces in Canada.
So far, the group has over 1,000 Facebook likes and a wide group of supporters and advisors across Canada, but Fillmore sees a lot more potential for growth. He believes unification could happen not just between members of Canada's left-wing, but even people from even Conservatives who are "shocked" by the Harper government's tactics.
"Imagine ending divisions and, instead of so many groups now taking similar but not exact positions, they come together and work out a near exact position that they then can unite potential millions of people around," Fillmore said.
"Hopefully we can help them overcome past differences that have prevented them from working together."
"This project can be huge for the country."
For more information, visit the One Big Campaign site.