[fvc-wat-announce] Fwd: [FVCchapters] Senate abolition & proportional representation: An open letter to Jack Layton

[lanickerson at b2b2c.ca]

For anyone who wants to send feedback to Ron Brydges on his letter to Jack
Layton, please feel free!

Anita

----- Forwarded message from "B. Hopkins" <brianhopkins2 at sympatico.ca> -----
    Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:18:57 +0000
    From: "B. Hopkins" <brianhopkins2 at sympatico.ca>
Reply-To: "B. Hopkins" <brianhopkins2 at sympatico.ca>
 Subject: [FVCchapters] Senate abolition & proportional representation: An open
letter to Jack Layton
      To: FairVote messagelist <fvcchapters at yahoogroups.com>


The message below was posted to a Yahoo group to which I belong. It is written
by Ron Brydges, a St. Catharines, Ontario resident and long time NDP supporter.
He is very concerned about the health of democracy in Canada and would
appreciate hearing responses to his letter. I too am interested in hearing your
responses and will forward such to Ron (without your name or email address
unless otherwise requested).
Brian

P.S. Ron's writings have appeared in the Niagara Falls Review
(http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1342724)
and elsewhere. A recent letter appeared in the St. Catharines Standard
(http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2982918) and the
Toronto Star
(http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/939412--democracy-2-0-coming-to-a-country-near-you).


Posted by: "Ron Brydges" gardcity at sympatico.ca
Sun Mar 13, 2011

This was sent to all sitting members of the Federal NDP

Open Letter to Jack Layton and the NDP

Remembering with appreciation the words of Federal NDP leadership candidate
Pierre Déclassé's signature campaign refrain "To have the result you have
never had, you must do what you have never done", the following election
proposal offers a way for putting his thought into play.

Democratic reform deserves serious consideration as a lead issue in the
upcoming federal NDP election campaign. There can be little argument that
our democracy is broken, especially so when a good number of political
pundits such as Andrew Coyne and the esteemed CBC political panel have
emphatically and repeatedly declared that to be so.

Fixing our democracy by way of electoral reform is a ready made issue for
Jack Layton and the NDP. Jack has already laid the groundwork in declaring
the need for election reform (proportional representation) and the need to
Abolish the Senate for which he would have a national referendum. There are
already strong currents and active citizen involvement - Fair Vote Canada -
to bring forward some form of P.R. The Harper Conservatives have themselves
laid the groundwork for a referendum on Abolition stating that Abolition
would be preferable to the status quoi, if the idea (awful) of an elected
triple E Senate cannot be achieved. It is obvious Harper has abandoned that
project and has made his Senate appointments and Senate abuses a strong
point for Abolition.

The NDP could take ownership of the Democracy issue as the Liberals have
been absent or obstructive to P.R. and Senate Abolition. They can step over
the Liberals while they play a weaker hand of campaigning against the
Conservative record of abusing democracy and lack of ethics while the
Conservatives attempt to fight back with a rerun of the sponsorship
scandal. All this will simply serve to aid and abet the need for electoral
reform which would bring more women, aboriginal and other minority
representation into the House. The electoral play with the Greens whose 7 to
10% voter share is critically important to the NDP because there is a vote
tradeoff between these two parties. The NDP carrying the Democracy issue
could appeal for Green support on the basis that significant growth of the
Green Party will not materialize without the adoption of a PR voting system
and only a strengthened NDP being elected to government or forming a
coalition government can or will deliver Election Reform. Absolutely true.
Senate Abolition is a necessary part of Election Reform. The appointed
Senate is a significant part of what is undemocratic and unfair with the
Canadian electoral and governing system. The Senate is used, between and
during elections, as a publicly paid repository for Conservative and Liberal
fundraisers and campaign organizers. It is decidedly unbalanced in
representing the societal makeup of the Canadian public, especially with
regards to the poor and disadvantaged. It is a primary instrument in
maintaining a status-quoi neo-liberal globalist view at a time when real
change is recognizably needed. Prior to the financial meltdown and
accompanying economic disaster, a Senator declared to the
sitting Senate Chamber "we are all de-regulators now". The history of the
financial crisis has shown the lack of wisdom in that approach but that
mentality still pervades the Chamber. All this put into a strong narrative
will play well with the electorate.

The NDP is historically the party of the working class and poor, which we
now call ordinary Canadians. It is the party that, at its best, most
embodies revolutionary change. This party of change does not have a single
Senator in the 105 seat appointed Senate. Neither does the Green Party or,
of course, the Bloc. This is untenable in a real democracy where the people
are to make the decision of who shall govern and may someday soon choose
real change. It has to be reformed or eliminated.

Just recently, the appointed Senate, in a total affront to democracy, was
used by the Conservatives, with Liberal Senate support, as a means to
summarily, without debate, kill the NDP sponsored Climate Change Bill which
had passed through the democratically elected House of Commons. This bill
was meant to address the greatest peril facing our planet and humanity. In
the recent past, the Senate was stacked by Brian Mulroney to pass the GST
legislation and earlier the Canada U.S. Free Trade Agreement both opposed by
a majority of Canadians.

Oft stated is the constitutional barrier concern to Senate Abolition but
there is much reason to believe that barrier can be overcome with a
referendum victory for Abolition which could not be ignored at a time when
we are applauding the popular democratic uprisings in other lands that are
democratizing their constitutions. There is expressed concern that Quebec
would oppose Senate Abolition but even there the public, given an informed
choice between electing and empowering the Senate or abolishing the Senate
would vote for Abolition. Our Ballet Box Revolution with a cry for
Democratic Reform will be hard to dismiss. The Conservatives, Liberals or
the Provinces ignoring the people's election decision would be seen as
opposing the voice of the people. Not good politics.

Most Canadians would not have a clue as to who is even one of their
regionally appointed Senators but are aware of their atrocious attendance
records and their inflated salaries and pensions relative to the ordinary
worker. Most see it as a waste of money. This is great election fodder for
an elections style advertising campaign and, of course, fund raising.
A preferential voting system, P.R., could be part of the alternative to an
Abolished Senate by replacing the appointed Senate with additional
regionally elected representatives to the House. These elected
representatives will provide the regional representation which is a stated
purpose for having a Senate. A process of legislative House hearings, as is
utilized at the provincial level, rather than Senate deliberations would
provide the supposed need for second sober thought. This is in line with
what Ed Broadbent espoused a generation ago.

Having an election platform calling for election reform by way of Abolition
of the Senate and the adoption of a P.R. fair voting system could excite the
nation and provide a real incentive for youth engagement bringing to bear
their political clout of social media. It might even appeal to the right who
want smaller government and less government expenditure. Well executed, it
would influence voter turnout which is good for the NDP and democracy.
The political landscape has never been more favorable for an NDP
breakthrough. To do what we have never done before with a bold stroke for
democracy could tip the balance. There can be no more important election
issue than fixing our broken democracy. It is through an improved democracy
we can then better address other great societal needs. An unplugged Jack
Layton could make this the political fight of his life.

My thoughts, welcome yours,
Ron Brydges
----- End forwarded message -----




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