Some of the questions that have arisen during this election campaign - Over whether the Greens should be allowed into the debate, or if the New Democrats actually have a shot at forming the next government or even its official opposition - raise an issue that nobody, including all of the party leaders, seems interested in addressing. It is an issue that to many people in this country is of the utmost urgency, but one that is almost completely ignored by the mainstream media and politicians alike. And that issue is electoral reform.
Canada's current electoral system, that which divides the country up into ridings and assigns each one a member of parliament to be elected by its residents, is archaic. It is a relic from a time when democracy was feared by the elite, and when regional issues were more politically pertinent. Today, with telecommunication shrinking the distances between us and the emergence of issues that affect all Canadians equally, such as the environment and health care, it is counterproductive to still have a system that accentuates regionalism.
This is not to say that a system should be adopted that completely disregards regional nuances and only looks at popular vote throughout the country. It would be ridiculous for, say, the NDP to not have to pay a certain price for having sparse, though not insignificant support in Alberta or, thus far, Quebec. But right now, the price is way too high. Furthermore, under the current system, anyone in Alberta who does support them is completely ignored.
The Greens could also argue that the amount of support they have in terms of popular vote would in many countries in the world, such as Germany, Italy, or New Zealand, make them a significant political force. The fact that that support is spread out throughout the country and not concentrated in but a few areas, ruins their chances of being elected. This is a shame, as issues that transcend regionalism need to be better articulated in federal politics.
An example of regionalism dumbing down our political discourse is the way politicians try and woo voters in strategically important ridings. For instance, Stephen Harper is offering to subsidize auto plants in Windsor and St. Catherines, as these are two places they are hoping to hold on to seats. The effect is that instead of articulating a vision for Canada's manufacturing industry as a whole, they are simply applying band aids to strategically important wounds.
It is astounding that neither the NDP nor the Greens, the two parties that have the most to gain from electoral reform, are not trying to make it into an election issue. Sure, it has its opponents, but those are mainly politicians and lobbyists who benefit from the current system. And yes, Ontario voters already rejected electoral reform in a referendum, but that is because it was set up to fail. We need to give it a fair chance, for it will only serve to enrich political discourse in Canada, and bring us closer to being an actual democracy.
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6 comments:
I agree 100 percent with what you've said about the need for electoral reform -- and the excellent example you gave about how dollars have been finding their way to vulnerable ridings (as opposed to dollars being invested as part of a comprehensive vision). Thanks for this excellent post.
Noam,
Some interesting points that you raise. However, electoral reform is not that easy in Canada: for the constitution to be revised, it has to be reopened, and then the revisions have to be accepted by 6 out of 10 provinces with more than 50% of the population. If I recall correctly, when Ontario tried passing a referendum on electoral reform (proportional representation), that failed pretty abysmally... still I agree with your fundamental argument. :)
The Ontario experience was a failure because of how the referendum was set up, not necessarily because Ontarians are opposed to it. If the referendum had not been during the provincial election, it would have received the necessary amount of attention for such a complex matter to be understood. Because the election acted as a distraction, and also because the referendum was not promoted at all, nobody really knew what it was about.
I have been a big fan of proportional representation for a while now, and was very disappointed in how the Ontario referendum turned out. During that election I was far more into election reform than voting for any one party. It has worked quite well in the Scandanavian countries.
I too was more interested in the issue of electoral reform, but there weren't enough of us I guess. Let's just hope there will be another opportunity in the not too distant future.
BC also rejected electoral reform. If I recall correctly only 58% of people voted for reform and 60% was needed. This means that less than half of BC thinks the current system works... but it is what we are stuck with for now.
Hopefully in time this will change. Any party that brings this up as an issue will instantly get a lot of respect form me.
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