Thursday, August 30, 2007

What have these opponents of MMP ever proposed to improve democracy in Canada?

Here's a list of names from the NO MMP website of people opposing the Mixed Member Proportional voting system: Diane Marleau, Charles Harnick, Dwight Duncan, George W. Taylor, Bob Delaney, Tim Hudak, Mike Crawley, Senator David Smith, Doug Lewis, Ron Atkey, Gordon Walker, Scott Reid, David Fleet, John L. Parker, Allan Cutler, Sam Wakim, Joe Hueglin, Aideen Nicholson, Larry McCormick, and Brent Cameron. Most of these people are former MPs and MPPs who never offered any suggestions for improving democracy for Canadian citizens by changing the way we vote. If they do not like province-wide MMP, how about supporting regional MMP, STV, regional lists, open lists, or even parallel voting? These opponents of MMP support the status-quo antiquated First-Past-the-Post voting system in perpetuity. These mostly Liberal and Conservative supporters are not afraid of the NDP or Green Party having more power; they are afraid of the voters having more power by letting them have greater choices when voting. I do not want to have greater choice so I can just choose the NDP or Green Party; I want greater choice so I can choose among the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, Green Party, and others. I want greater choice so I can choose the best local candidate irrespective of which party he or she may belong.

To the voters of Ontario,

The opponents of MMP are afraid of you. Don't be afraid of the opponents. Support MMP in the October 10th referendum.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

MMP enables party leaders to appoint MLAs. Far from being a system to empower voters.

.....Joe Hueglin

Wayne Smith said...

Joe;

There is nothing in the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly that would allow anybody to be "appointed" to the Legislature.

Parties will nominate candidates on their list, just as they nominate candidates in ridings (except that the list nominations will be more fair and transparent). Voters will evaluate the candidates on the lists just as they evaluate the candidates in the ridings. Candidates on the lists will get elected or not elected depending on whether they can attract enough votes to the party, just like the riding candidates. List MPPs will be accountable to the voters who elected them, just like the riding MPPs. Most of them will have constituency offices to service their constituents, just like the riding MPPs.

In places that use MMP voting, voters do not distinguish between riding and list MPs.

The real difference is that, under the current system, most of us vote for candidates who do not get elected, and we end up with a government that most people voted against.

Under MMP, every voter will have a vote that actually helps somebody get elected, every time, so everybody will be represented fairly, and we will finally be able to hold politicians and parties accountable to voters.

Vote for MMP on October 10.

Wayne Smith