[fvc-wat-disc] [fvc-wat-announce] Fwd: [FVCchapters] Senateabolition & proportional representation: An open letter toJack Layton

Kevin Smith kevedsmith at gmail.com
Wed Mar 16 16:52:42 EDT 2011 

The Reform Party has traditionally been in favour of what they call a
"Triple-E" Senate
(Equal provincial representation, Elected by the People, and Effective).
This would
be more like the U.S. Senate, which has its own problems.

The author is saying that they would prefer abolition if triple E could not
be achieved.
Perhaps when Harper isn't exploiting it for his partisan purposes, this
could be true.

Harper's abuses also strengthen the case for abolition, whether that's their
position
or not.

Kevin.

On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 8:09 PM, Alida and George <burrettga at golden.net>wrote:

>  The letter to Jack contains a number of points complimentary to the New
> Democratic Party position.
>
> I just didn't understand this:" 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,"
>
> Could anyone believe that "Abolition" is on the CPC agenda? Does the author
> of the letter?
>
> George Burrett
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* lanickerson at b2b2c.ca
> *To:* fvc-wat-announce at listserv.thinkers.org
> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 15, 2011 3:10 PM
> *Subject:* [fvc-wat-disc] [fvc-wat-announce] Fwd: [FVCchapters]
> Senateabolition & proportional representation: An open letter toJack Layton
>
> 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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