Proposal to Reform our Electoral System
The more in depth the study of political practices worldwide, the
more apparent it becomes that no one system is flawless. Our
current system has many merits, but one fundamental flaw leaves
citizens at the mercy of "party politics". This flaw is the legal
right for a party to dictate policy and to force its elected
members to tow the party line. Remove this one factor and our
current system would be greatly enhanced.
My proposal is to make party control of votes by elected
representatives on public issues illegal, subject to very harsh
penalties including; immediate removal from public office, fines,
jail time and being banned from holding political office for a
minimum of twenty (20) years. While it should remain a fundamental
freedom for people to "freely associate" by joining a political
party, at no point should a party be allowed to influence how its
elected representatives vote on public issues. This behaviour is
very counterproductive to the best interests of the citizens who
entrusted their representative with the responsibility of working
on their behalf, for their best interests.
I propose that a law be instituted that includes, but that is not
restricted to, the following elements:
a) prohibition of any elected party from
forcing its elected representative(s) to vote in agreement with
"party line" directives on any public issue
b) influencing, in any way, an elected
official to vote only for his/her party's direction
c) enacting a secure "whistle blowing"
system to allow the immediate reporting and prosecution of any and
all violators
d) making illegal any disciplinary action,
real or perceived, to an elected representative who votes contrary
to their party's policy or direction
e) enacting a provincial law prohibiting
the right for a candidate to lie in order to be elected (using the
"Not Withstanding" clause to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling
which makes it legal for candidates to lie prior to, and during,
election campaigns)
f) a legal requirement for elected
representatives to inform all constituents of issues being voted
on, and, to hold independent polls to determine majority consensus
in order to direct the elected official's vote
Our elected representatives must be forced to vote according to the
best interests of their constituents, as determined by the
majority, even if it flies directly in the face of their respective
party's mandate. Using the excuse of "they voted us in to follow
our platform" is not valid because our Supreme Court ruled it is
legal to lie in order to be elected. History has proven
conclusively that parties frequently run with one platform, but
upon being elected, reverse or dramatically alter that same
platform to facilitate their objectives.
With this one simple change to the existing flaw in our current
electoral system we will all benefit greatly in the centuries to
come.
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