John Van Dongen-Independent MLA Our Canadian Democracy has been hijacked by the political party system for far too long. Slowly but possibly surely politicians are speaking out, most often it is when they are on their way out the door. Not all wait until retirement. Former BC Liberal Cabinet Minister John
Continue readingTag: proportional representation
CuriosityCat: The Joyce Murray Cooperate First, Reform Later Plan’s advantages
The Undemocratic Democracy Recent byelections have once more proved that The Power Trap has the leaders of two of the opposition parties firmly in its grip. The State of Play post Calgary Centre Byelection Some recent reflections on the divided opposition parties: Yet most Liberals here still see other parties
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Joyce Murray is right: Our electoral sytem is broken and needs fixing
Joyce Murray: Targeting our democratic deficitAndrew Coyne has supported Murray’s idea of removing the Harper Tories from power and reforming the electoral system.This is a brief report of what Joyce Murray said, by Joan Bryden:But her proposal for co-…
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Andrew Coyne gives a good reason for choosing Joyce Murray as Liberal Party leader
Andrew CoyneAt last we have some candidates for leadership of the Liberal Party who – unlike Justin Trudeau – are prepared to deal with the reality of Canadian politics: our democratic deficit. And journalist Coyne does us all a favour by dis…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Canada’s Democratic Structures Are Crumbling Under Authoritarian Rule!
Richard Hughes- Political Blogger
Everywhere we look our democracy is compromised, in some cases it is underwater. From many of our local government bodies to the senior levels democratic processes go begging.
Nationally our democracy has been hijacked…
CuriosityCat: Justin Trudeau, heed the advice of Dan Gardner from The Ottawa Citizen
Dan Gardner’s challenge to Trudeau Dan Gardner has some very valid advice for any government led by Justin Trudeau – put our money where our mouth is when it comes to policies based on “hard, scientific facts and data”: Announcing his candidacy for the Liberal leadership, Justin Trudeau got a
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Justin Trudeau and tic-tac-toe politics
Justin Trudeau does not believe in tic-tac-toe (noughts and crosses to some of us) politics: As for Stephen Harper’s policies now, Mr. Trudeau says they are dividing the country, as are NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair’s. “Mr. Harper put an X over Quebec and is anchoring himself in the West. Mr.
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Justin Trudeau: Two core principles in his launching speech
There were a few pointers in his speech about his way forward, and where he wants to take the party. Two critical ones leaped out at me. The first is the disengagement of Canadians from what happens in their Parliament: To millions and millions of Canadians, their government has become
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Justin Trudeau: A Political Tinkerer or a man with a Bold Vision for Canada?
Lawrence Martin in today’s Globe & Mail raises a very important question about what Justin Trudeau might do to change the system: Idealism is the currency of the young and, if Justin Trudeau is to succeed and the Liberal Party to have new life, a new sense of it is
Continue readingCuriosityCat: How Justin Trudeau can leave a legacy as great as his father did
Ask anybody about Pierre Trudeau’s major contributions to Canadian politics, and you will find many who will point to the repatriation of the constitution, and the enshrinement in our new constitution of our now world-famous Charter of Rights & Freedoms. That Charter has resounded throughout the world, and is used
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Open Letter to Paul Adams about Electoral Cooperation
Paul Adams has done us all a service by commenting on the wishes of the majority of voters in recent elections, and is now fending off attacks from right wing commentators about his proposal that the progressives unite to unseat the Harper new Tories in the next election. However, Adams
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Cost of a botched coalition: A poll shows LibDem leader Clegg at MINUS 2%
How low can you go? If you are a politician of a party that traditionally has won around 20% of the votes cast in election after election, but with your voters sprinkled almost evenly across all the ridings, and you are given the chance to enter into a governing coalition
Continue readingDutch election aftermath: it’s pretty much all good
Dutch election yesterday, with preliminary results as follows, via Parties and Elections in Europe: Party – Preliminary results (99,5%) – Ideology, Affiliation, Founding 2012 Seats 2010 Seats Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD) People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy Conservative liberalism ELDR, LI 1948 26,5% 41 20,4% 31 Partij van de
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Quebec election: What Francois Legault should do
Now that the dust is settling, a PQ minority government will take over in Quebec with roughly one-third of the vote, while the Legault Coalition party will end up with far fewer seats than its roughly 27% of the votes should grant it. However, Legault’s Coalition party now holds the
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Rick Salutin on Democracy, Parties, and Electoral Reform
“Democracy,” as Winston Churchill famously stated, “is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Somewhat less famously, he also remarked that “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” Notwithstanding this somewhat anemic endorsement,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Rick Salutin on Proportional Representation
The problem with parties is they don’t exist to represent the views of the public, or even sections of it, or even their own members. Maybe they once did, or maybe not. But now they exist to win elections. They’re “election-day organizations,” to quote political scientist Donald Savoie. They take
Continue readingCuriosityCat: The New Era: The Cullen Plan is alive, and a coalition government probable
Nathan Cullen broke with other senior Dippers during the NDP leadership race to openly espouse the concept of electoral cooperation between the NDP, the LPC and the Greens. The aim would not be a merger of the three parties, but simply a working arrangement at the constituency level – driven
Continue readingWhy losing "my" MP leaves me indifferent
The MP for Calgary Centre, Lee Richardson, has announced he is resigning his seat to take a job as Alberta Premier Alison Redford’s principal secretary. Considering that Calgary Centre is my riding, I suppose I should be concerned about losing my representative in Parliament but, as Mr. Richardson has represented
Continue readingCuriosityCat: One good reason to vote NDP in 2015
Perhaps Leonard Cohen has something to say to those Canadians who look with dismay upon our broken, undemocratic, first past the post electoral system, and wonder that a man who is not supported by more than 60% of those who voted can do the things he is now doing with
Continue readingCuriosityCat: My shortlist for permanent leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
Speculation swirls around Bob Rae and his rumoured resignation as interim leader in order to throw his hat into the ring for permanent leader. Journalists give their views of which Liberals will be candidates. The party itself is preparing to enrol tens of thousands of Supporters, who – although not
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