BURNABY (NEWS1130) – A Metro Vancouver Member of Parliament is launching a campaign for e-petitions today.

Burnaby-Douglas NDP MP Kennedy Stewart says he’s hoping to turn things around by making it easier for folks to have a say on issues that matter by modernizing petitioning, and making it electronic.

“People feel like that perhaps Ottawa is very removed from their day-to-day lives that really a lot of the things we debate here from the House of Commons really don’t have much connection with people’s everyday lives, but this would.”

He says it’s meant to get more people engaged in politics. “I’m going to try to make democracy better in Canada. Voter turnouts are at an all-time low and people have lost faith because of the senate scandal and things like, that so here’s an option that I’m putting forward.”

He says for an e-petition to reach the House it would require a certain number of signatures, for example 50,000 and support from at least five MPs. That’s also a way to cut frivolous ideas and joke petitions. The motion is up for debate beginning today. He’s optimistic it should pass in the fall, as he says he already has cross party support. The motion coincides with the launch of betterpetitions.ca, a new website that features a campaign video and e-petition.