Parliament – Etymology The English term is derived from Anglo-Norman and dates to the 14th century, coming from the 11th century Old French parlement, “discussion, discourse”, from parler, meaning “to…
Jagmeet Singh’s letter to Justin Trudeau calling for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform by Fairvote Canada | Nov 5, 2020 Read the PDF copy of the letter Jagmeet…
Here’s an irony. I’m forced to vote Liberal (again) because Justin Trudeau betrayed me. No, it doesn’t make any sense and, furthermore, it pisses me off. But that’s just the…
Advocates of proportional representation (PR) make a powerful case. They claim that our current electoral system, first-past-the-post (FPTP), is not democratic. They are right. More often than not a political…
Canada has always been a highly regionalized country—the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, B.C., all with varying interests and economies and, with Quebec at least, culture. One particular complaint is…
Winston Churchill (apocryphally, as it turns out) is believed to have said, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” In light of British Columbia’s…
Winston Churchill (apocryphally, as it turns out) is believed to have said, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” In light of British Columbia’s…
On Democracy What a better way to restart The Fifth Column than by a treatise on how to make our democracy actually democratic. Hopefully this will be the first posting…
Has Justin Trudeau not betrayed his promise of electoral reform, perhaps all provinces would be seriously considering it for their own jurisdictions, not just British Columbia and Quebec. And now…
Watch the NDP’s Nathan Cullen call Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a liar for breaking his promise that the 2015 federal election would be the last election under Canada’s anti-democratic first-past-the-post…
It’s hard to believe but it’s true. Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United States of America. A man who has never held a public office in his life…
It’s hard to believe but it’s true. Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United States of America. A man who has never held a public office in his life…
The fear of democracy has a long history. Plato was mistrustful of the demos, believing it would be subject to bullies and to tyrants. In England, the storming of the…
The fear of democracy has a long history. Plato was mistrustful of the demos, believing it would be subject to bullies and to tyrants. In England, the storming of the…
PHOTOS: Bernard the (now-ex) Roughneck enjoys some of the acclaim that goes with his newfound prominence here in Wild Rose Country. Photo grabbed from Facebook. Below: Neal Hancock as Bernard…
On Monday September 19, 2016, the Special Committee on Electoral Reform launched its cross-Canada tour to consult Canadians on the best alternative to replace the current anti-democratic first-past-the-post system. The…
A reader brought up what he considers a serious weakness in first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting yesterday. It is the assumption that we elect “honourable members’ to our legislatures and the House…
How would you like to have a job based on proving your boss is right? It seems the same as Canada’s Fraser Institute that is always commissioning studies designed to…
The need for electoral reform in Canada has never been more stark. We have just endured nine years of government by a political party that over sixty per cent of…
Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable -- the art of the next best. (Otto von Bismarck)I never thought that I would see this day come. We have…
