Call Paul! 613 992-4211

Lokahi MPH booth in Canada
Originally uploaded by Brande Jackson.

In the states, we have a text message campaign, where Bono asks everyone to text message their name to UNITE (86483) to show their support and join the ONE campaign. In Canada, the push is to get everyone to call Prime Minister Paul Martin and urge him to commit .7% of Canada's federal budget to go towards foreign aid. Here is what www.makepovertyhistory.ca has to say:
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"I'm going to be the biggest pain in his ass"

That's what Bono warned one year ago if Paul Martin didn't follow through on his promise to commit Canada to set a timetable for achieving 0.7 per cent allocation of Gross National Income to foreign aid.

Guess what? A few days ago, Paul Martin decided to back away from that promise - and Bono's not happy. On CBC Radio this weekend, Bono encouraged all Canadians to call Paul to pressure him to keep his promise:

"I want to give Canada his phone number. If anyone's listening, I would call Paul. It's 613 992-4211."
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Bono made the same request last night as well, and thousands of U2 fans took out their cell phone on the spot and made the call to the Prime Minister, which was very cool! Many more took the flyers we had made as well, urging their friends and family to make the same call.

I get to listen to the show and Bono talk about the campaign every night, and last night in particular, I was really struck by his emphasis on the fact that this NEEDS to be the generation that has to decide that enough is enough. Frustration can sometimes be the greatest catalyst for change, and realizing how ridiculous it is to let thousands of people suffer and die every day when that can easily be stopped - to stop people dying from STUPID poverty that can be prevented - might be what it takes to get the rest of the western world to move, what it takes to make my generation and those that came right before and after me to take action.

We need your voice and your support - it is so simple for us to make such a huge difference in the lives of those around the rest of the world and yet so many here and in my own country don't realize the power that their voice, that their frustration and anger combined with compassion, carries. Hopefully, us doing this work on this campaign will help to make thousands more realize that they already have the tools they need to change the world for the better.

And don't forget to call Paul. Never under estimate the power of thousands of U2 fans with their cell phones in hand.