You have no idea how good it felt to see someone else carry the can for first-past-the-post voting the other day. It was a professor from Toronto’s Ryerson University and it was a weight lifted from our shoulders. Mind you, it makes you wonder where he was when we were fighting off Ontario’s attempt at changing voting in 2007.
His aid was in the form of an opinion piece in the Toronto Star. The headline was a bit strong in suggesting that Justin Trudeau’s approach to electoral reform is arrogant and misguided but it is likely the headline was written by an editor displaying his or her own bias. In reading the article, you realize that the writer considered Trudeau’s approach to be misguided and naïve. There is a lot of that type of opinion on this subject.
One point of disagreement with the professor is that he says voting for an opposition party entitles you to criticize the government. Babel-on-the-Bay criticizes everybody—particularly the ones we vote for. All our politicians need to govern better and strive to meet a higher standard.
Admittedly, the professor does use strong language about the ‘unprecedented arrogance’ of the Trudeau team to suggest that the government can unilaterally change the way we vote. While such a change would take an unequalled amount of gall, it is more of a moral question than a legal concern.
The precedent has been set by the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario to stage a referendum on changes in voting. The federal government can do no less.
The professor’s point is very clear that “The electoral process is not Ottawa’s to change unilaterally.” Canadians would have every right to boycott a change that was made without the support of the electorate.
The professor makes the point very well that the way we vote “shapes our political culture.” Canada has a strong political culture. While we are of many ethnic heritages, multiple languages, religions and backgrounds, we live in a country of accomplishment. We have unprecedented freedom. We are educated and strong minded. We have been known to turf governments of many stripes when they fail to serve us.
And as the professor says, when we are defeated in our partisan positions, we know “We’ll get them next time!”
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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