Road to Democracy
I would like to begin by congratulating you for taking the
initiative to take us one more step down the road on that long
arduous journey toward democratic rule in Canada.
Parliamentary democracy, and the ancient and undemocratic 'First
Past the Post' style of elections has produced a two party system,
which in turn has resulted in consecutive majority governments,
usually representing less than half of the electorate, leaving the
majority of the citizens without representation.
As all parties are vying for the 'soft center' vote, fear of
vote splitting has resulted in a two party system, and the two
parties are so much alike that it matters little which party you
vote for, so much so, that in a general election it has become the
choice of leader that determines the style of government we will
have, not the choice of party. In essence, a two party system has
left us with no choice.
Parliamentary democracy also has other inherent flaws. This
system has over the years concentrated all of the governments
political power in the Premier's Office, turned elected members
into useless puppets and created the dictator style of governments
we have today.
While the politicians have become preoccupied with their quest
for power, their respective parties they have also lost something
very essential in the process, they have all but lost their
political identity. Without that identity the electorate has lost
interest, as they feel they have been left out of the process.
Canada is a country build by immigrants. At the current rate of
immigration Canada's population doubles every one hundred years
through immigration alone. Those immigrants come from literally
every country in the world, and the political profile of the
Canadian society today reflect virtually every possible political
identity there is. It's no wonder then that the old black and
white, left-right two party system no longer works.
Proportional Representation is one of the main building blocks
in any democratic system. As the term implies, with proRep all
political parties will have representation in our Legislatures, in
direct proportion to their percentage of the popular vote. This
will produce a number of very positive developments:
It will encourage all political parties to redefine their
identities to reflect the policies and principles and their
position on issues facing the electorate.
Those reflections will be honest, because members and supporters
will no longer be penalized for voting for the party of their
choice.
It will not only draw more citizens into the political debate.
It will eventually bring these people into the process, as they
realize that at the end of the day the final decision will be
theirs.
In discussions with a number of people over the last few years
one concern has been voiced: ProRep is not a democratic system,
because not all members are elected. I believe you need to address
this issue by explaining the Party List, and how candidates are
elected to this list using a ballot process, and how those
candidates then are elected to the legislature. It should be
pointed out, that by using the Party List, every single vote
counts.
Another concern expressed from time to time: ProRep will split
the vote, and we will no longer have majority governments. The
implication of course is, that if you are not a majority government
you can not rule, e. g. you can not bully! Please
explain to your audience that with ProRep you can indeed have
majority governments, and that it will happen whenever a political
party has earned the confidence and the support of the majority of
the electorate.
That, of course, should be the only condition that would allow
any party to form a majority government in a democratic
society.
I wish you success in your endeavours.
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