Dear Editors,
cc Ms Hebert
Re:Electoral reform could improve health of Canada’s federal politics
In Ms Hebert discussion of an electoral non-participation pact between the non-Ref/Cons in the next General Election, she correctly asserts "Too many proponents of this are really only looking for a shortcut to beat the Conservatives without having to do the heavy lifting of seeking policy common ground with their opposition rivals."
Irrespective of the appeal (to the lesser players in the Electoral Subsidy-collection game) of an Anybody-but-Steve, Us or Him, elimination-round, it's not going to happen.
Further, the wholly-dis-satisfactory, status quo of non-representation and dis-representation in Ottawa, resulting from the "best-of-a-bad-bunch" voting system will not be cured by a knee-jerk switch to the oft-proposed (by the same lesser players) proportional representation (PR).
The our regionally-fractured and ideologically-sympathetic voting-blocks will not change their minds about their priority issues because the voting system has changed and (since the voting system will NOT change) the vote-buying, niche-marketing players will not need to change their divide-and-rule tactics.
The essential problem in our Lower House is not rooted in the mechanics of individual election voting, but in the system of voting IN the House of Commoners and the mixed/conflicting loyalties of the MP's once elected.
If you want MP's to work together, to have more of a voice as individuals and as a voice for their constituents, then raise the level of approval of Bills in Committee and in the House from 50%+1 to 66.7% or 75% .....accomplished by a change in "convention" (at the urging of the electorate -once they discover it's an option) - no Consti-pational Amendment required
Given the unlikelihood of one Party obtaining 2/3 or 3/4 of the seats in an election, we could always have a "check" on the PMO/PCO cabal (irrespective of its blatant anti-constitutionality) - each individual MP's vote would be important every time and the "importance" of party-affiliation, at election time, would diminish.
Dream-come-true we might see "All-the'Talents" cabinets emerge with a Proportionate Representation of sitting MP's at the Cabinet Table.
AND ...in this "environment", the idea of amending the Clarity Act's threshold would be "unsustainable".
rce
Robert Ede,
Founder and Past President,
Mitigate the Effects of any Obvious Errors/Damage you come Across Poli-Sci Socie
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