The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Voting systems, tiny Tories and Gary Doer Similar to after the 2000 federal election, the latest vote result brought out a hue and cry to change the voting system in Canada. Why? Because parties like the NDP and Greens feel they received a lot of votes but few or no seats thus not being fair to their voters. After 2000, a group was formed called Fair Vote Canada (FVC) to lobby for a system of proportional representation in Canada, perhaps similar to the ones in Germany, Switzerland or New Zealand, where political parties receive seats in proportion to the votes they have gained. They point out that in 2000 the Liberals with 50 per cent of the votes in Ontario, winning almost all of the seats, with a similar result for the Alliance in Alberta and B.C. They claim that the present "past the post" system in use in the U.S., Britain and Canada and a few other democracies is grossly unfair and leads to low vote turnout, alienation of Canadian voters and other evil things. FVC claims to not be advocating any one system of proportional representation but wants a full discussion on the system and a binding referendum in Canada. They claim to have support from right and left, but with solid and vocal support from the NDP, it would appear mainly to be left. Fair Vote Canada certainly has its critics. The system we have now, a copy of the British Parliament, is not without its faults but it does have members running for and representing areas of the country. If they go against the wishes of their voters, they can and often will be defeated in the next election. Think of the scores of former Liberal MPs who were wiped out of rural Canada because of the gun law. A change to proportional representation would mean the end of the riding system and its replacement by lists controlled by party bosses. This could mean the end of at least a semblance of control by the voters as at present. Today, parties have to pay attention to regions of the country such as the Maritimes and the West. With the bulk of the population in Ontario and Quebec, critics claim the parties may choose to campaign only in central Canada, filling their lists of MPs with hacks and cronies from the East, with no one left to speak for the smaller populated regions. As well proportional representation Leads to unstable governments such as in Italy and Israel, even more unstable than the one we have now. Critics also say that what Canada really needs is Senate reform, as the Senate has been dysfunctional for many years and is certainly not fulfilling its role of representing regions of the country. They also claim that a rigid party discipline in the House of Commons and a lack of power by the MPs needs reform. Can the public expect Parliament to listen to Jack Layton and Free Vote Canada? Not likely, especially in a minority, and with it not being in the interests of the Liberals, Conservatives and Bloc, but only the NDP and the Greens and other more minor parties. Besides, the parties already have proportional representation in financing thanks to Jean Chretien. Bill C-24, one of Chretien's "legacy's" gives taxpayers' dollars to every party according to the votes they received. They get $1.75 per year for every vote received in this election. The legislation prohibits businesses and unions from donating to parties, allowing them to only donate $1,000 per year to local candidates, and restricts annual individual donations to $5,000 per party. The law is a financial boon to smaller parties like the Bloc and NDP and the Greens (who will get a cool $1 million per year for the vote they gained, but no seats). Winnipeg Free Press national reporter Paul Samyn did the math and reported the following: The Liberals get $8.6 Million for their 4.9 Million votes, the Tories $6.9 million for 4 million votes, the NDP $3.7 million and the Bloc $2.9 million ("to help them plot how to break up the country"). In other words, the money is directly linked each year to the votes received. The bill when passed by Chretien's gang was not popular with a lot of Liberals. Stephen Ledrew, former Liberal president called it at the time "dumb as a bag of hammers". His latest comment? "It's even sillier than I thought!"What most "experts" figure is that the financing law will prevent another election this year at least, as no party could afford a campaign soon. It also may force Parliament to have elections every four years to collect the payments every year. By the way, the June 28th contest cost Elections Canada a reported $265,000,000. What's a "tiny Tory"? It is a Calgary daily newspaper's term for a number of new and young Conservative MPs elected on June 28th. After all, isn't the image of the Conservative party a bunch of staid 'responsible' life-experienced and older men and women? (One Eastern image is described as western bigots and rednecks!) The former PC party was certainly experienced and older. Young PCs were shunted into PC youth groups (the maximum age was 35), and most ridings had their own women's organizations. It was not unusual for the riding president to be in his 70s. When I became Winnipeg South Centre's Riding president at 29 this was considered a unique situation in the party. Now things in the new party are different. The new Conservative party ran 20 candidates who were aged 30 and under, electing five, compared to one 30 year-old Liberal elected out of seven who ran. There are two 25 year-olds, including Andrew Scheer who beat long-time NDP'er Lorne Nystrum in Regina, and the youngest MP in Parliament, Pierre Poilievre who clobbered Defence Minister David Pratt in Ontario. The MP for Creighton/Denare Beach, Jeremy Harrison, is only 26, and B.C. Tory James Moore at 28 won his second election. See 'Young' P.# Con't from P.# All of the five "tiny Tories" elected had to win the nominations in their ridings, as the Conservative Party and its leader do not interfere with the local Riding association's right to select their own candidates (they wouldn't dare!) Stephen Harper did encourage some, such as Harrison to run, but unlike Paul Martin, none were hand-picked by the leader. The one 30 year-old Liberal that won was Winnipeg's Ruby Dhalla, a so called beauty queen and would-be movie actress who Martin parachuted into Brampton, Ontario, much to the chagrin of the local Liberal executive, who all resigned and went to work for the NDP. There were no free rides for the "tiny Tories" who all ran in areas no "experts" thought they could win. Will they make an impact? Poilievre thinks they will, saying there are more than enough older and wiser members in Parliament and millions of 18-35 year olds in Canada: "Whose generational interests are not represented on the floor of the House. So it speaks volumes about the inclusiveness of the Conservatives that they have given us the chance." Maybe their success will convince the majority of young Canadians who did not vote to do so next time. What did Gary Doer have to do with The Federal election? Apparently very little, except for showing up when Jack Layton came to town to praise the Premier for his managing of health care and the like. Doer of course knew that he would have to deal with a Liberal or Conservative Government. He did surprise a few observers by the way he treated provincial cabinet minister Maryann Mihychuck and the voters in Turtle Mountain. Mihychuck foolishly ran for mayor when "star candidate" Glen Murray quit, and Doer refused to delay the by-election in her seat of Minto, so she could run again when she lost the Mayor's race. He called the by-election for the city on the same day as the federal election, and the one in Turtle Mountain (Tory MLA Merv Tweed ran and won federally in Brandon) for the day after the federal election, saying something like the people need representation. Mihychuck is out of a job and the Tory in Turtle Mountain beat the NDP and Liberal badly. It looks like he was anxious to get rid of Maryann, and had written off the southwestern Manitoba seat. By the way, Mihychuck's agent was right-wing Tory accountant Trevor Sprague, who took the job because she asked him. Trevor is exceptionally good and well liked but even he couldn't save the NDP hopeful for mayor of Winnipeg.
