Most Canadians content with electoral system
Re: “Electoral reform is dead though was it ever even alive?” (The Hill Times, Jan. 18, p. 8). Your editorial begins by asking rhetorically if anyone believes the Trudeau government will change the way we elect our MPs by the time the 2019 election rolls around. The answer is most likely not. Why? Because most […]
Proportional representation like participation medals: everyone feels good, no one wins
Proportional representation (PR) is like the participation medals that everyone gets in elementary school. Everybody feels good, but no one wins. PR advocates suggest that it is democratic to elect someone who came second, or worse, with as little as 15 per cent of the vote. First, however, let’s step back and ask: “what is the […]
New minister could signal step away from scrapping first past the post: strategist
The Trudeau government may be signalling that it’s beginning to pivot away from its campaign pledge to make 2015 the last election conducted under the first-past-the-post system by appointing rookie MP Karina Gould as the new minister of democratic institutions, according to pundit Tim Powers. Mr. Powers, vice-chairman at Ottawa lobbying shop Summa Strategies and […]
Electoral reform is dead, though was it ever even alive?
Is there anyone who really believes the government will change the way we elect our federal representatives by the time voters head to the polls again in 2019? The Liberals have been elusive about their true intentions since they formed government. It’s a timeless story, how does a party balance its campaign promise with its desire to […]
Here’s how new Democratic Institutions Minister Gould can chart successful path
Four key steps were taken toward electoral reform in 2016. A multi-partisan committee of MPs worked together to submit a majority report recommending proportional representation. A new alliance of 62 groups called Every Voter Counts was formed to advocate for equal and effective votes. Prince Edward Island rejected the majoritarian options on the ballot in […]
Cullen to new Democratic Institutions minister: Let’s write election law together
NDP MP Nathan Cullen has challenged newly installed Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould to take the bipartisan approach to electoral reform a big step further—by inviting him and MPs from all parties to help draft legislation to implement the change. Mr. Cullen (Skeena — Bulkley Valley, B.C.), sent an open letter to Ms. Gould only two days […]
African elections: glass half full or empty?
LONDON, U.K.—There are a number of ways to win an African election. The simplest, obviously, is to win the most votes, but this is sometimes hard to achieve, especially if you have been the president for a long time and people are getting fed up with your rule. If your country’s constitution only allows two […]
Liberals aiming to win Harper’s former Calgary Heritage riding
Bolstered by a breakthrough in Alberta in the last federal election, the Liberals are now going for the jugular and targeting former prime minister Stephen Harper’s riding, one of the safest and symbolically most important Conservative Party seats in the country. However, Conservatives are vowing to win the riding again in the byelection, expected to be […]
Trudeau’s an establishment prime minister in an age of rebellion
TORONTO—Honest question: can you think of anybody more establishment in Canada than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau? The answer didn’t matter during the 2015 election campaign. A sizeable chunk of the country was desperate to kick Stephen Harper to the curb, and what better antidote to a man thought of as grumpy and mean-spirited with a […]
Don’t agree with Copps, we need electoral reform
Re: “Electoral reform will not happen in this Parliament,” (The Hill Times, Dec. 12, p. 9). After reading Sheila Copps’ column, I realized why electoral reform is never going to happen. Not even an experienced politician like Ms. Copps understands two very important points: 1. Democracy is not about who gains with the reform—it is about representation, […]
