[fvc-wat-disc] fvc-wat-disc Digest, Vol 79, Issue 1

Sat Oct 10 13:16:02 EDT 2015

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Hi Allan: There are at least three easy ways to implement proportional
representation, only one of which requires more politicians:

1) Implement MMP and use the existing electoral district boundaries to
elect a regional representative, then "top-up" with additional MPs to
ensure parties are proportionally represented. As you note, having
more politicians is not a popular choice.

2) Implement MMP, and change the boundaries so that there are fewer
electoral districts, but keep the displaced MPs for "top-up". This
achieves proportionality, but makes regional representation for larger
districts more difficult. Believe me, a riding like
Kitchener-Conestoga is plenty big already.

3) Implement STV using multi-member electoral districts created by
combining several existing districts. For example, Waterloo Region has
five electoral districts, and so could become one five-member
district. The ranked ballot would list all 28 candidates, the top five
chosen would the MPs, and the outcome would be mostly proportional.
There's no increase in the number of politicians elected, and regional
representation is maintained. However, the small parties and
independents may not be well represented, unless many more (9 or 10)
existing districts are combined. While that increases the degree of
proportionality, it may reduce regional representation.

There are many other ways to achieve proportionality, with various
tradeoffs for regional representation, number of MPs, and how closely
proportionality of votes matches the party seats.  This is why I'd
like to see a citizen's assembly created to evaluate the different
systems, then have a referendum on a choice of two or three alternatives.

- --Bob.

Bob Jonkman <bjonkman at sobac.com>          Phone: +1-519-635-9413
Candidate  for the Green Party of Canada in  Kitchener-Conestoga
https://bobjonkmangpc.ca/       mailto:bob.jonkman at greenparty.ca
Vote for the person  who will best represent you in your riding!

On 10/10/15 05:28 AM, Allan Grose wrote:
> Hi Doug, I am interested in your proposal to discuss proportional
> representation more deeply.  My concern is that it might require
> the addition of dozens of additional people to the legislature in
> Ottawa.  If each member of parliament costs the taxpayers a couple
> of hundred thousand dollars a year, plus pensions after they
> retire, perhaps the additional cost would be unjustified.  What
> other kind of electoral reform might be possible, I wonder. Allan
> Grose  lloyal8"gmail.com
> 
> On Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 12:00 PM,
> <fvc-wat-disc-request at listserv.thinkers.org
>> wrote:
> 
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>> Today's Topics:
>> 
>> 1. democratic and electoral reform (doug moen) 2. Re: democratic
>> and electoral reform (Paul Schellenberg)
>> 
>> 
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> 
Message: 1
>> Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2015 10:43:24 -0400 From: doug moen
>> <doug at moens.org> To: fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org Subject:
>> [fvc-wat-disc] democratic and electoral reform Message-ID: 
>> <CAGV6i+PF2aBjs2d9kwcb7HRNS+E+prLNAEJn9bX1s08zwpe= 
>> 4A at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>> 
>> With the election coming up, I've done a lot of thinking about
>> democratic and electoral reform in Canada, and I'm looking for a
>> group of people to discuss this with. Fair Vote Waterloo looks
>> like a good place to start. This group has no meetings scheduled,
>> so is the mailing list the best place to have a conversation? I
>> would also be interested in getting together with a group of
>> people to have a discussion, either by organizing a meeting, or 
>> joining some group who is already doing this.
>> 
>> This group seems focused on proportional representation as the
>> best way to reform the electoral system. Not sure how you all
>> feel about the ranked ballot? I'm also more generally interested
>> in democratic reform: ending the dictatorship of the PMO and
>> giving power back to our elected representatives in the house of
>> parliament.
>> 
>> Doug Moen. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML
>> attachment was scrubbed... URL: < 
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>> 
- ------------------------------
>> 
>> Message: 2 Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2015 11:01:44 -0400 From: Paul
>> Schellenberg <pjschell at sympatico.ca> To: FVC Waterloo Region
>> Discussion <fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org> Subject: Re:
>> [fvc-wat-disc] democratic and electoral reform Message-ID:
>> <337157FA-74BC-44F6-AE48-7C4B43995983 at sympatico.ca> Content-Type:
>> text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>> 
>> I would be interested in joining a group to discuss democratic
>> and electoral reform.
>> 
>> I do not support ranked ballots.
>> 
>> Paul Schellenberg
>> 
>> On Oct 9, 2015, at 10:43 AM, doug moen <doug at moens.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> With the election coming up, I've done a lot of thinking about
>> democratic and electoral reform in Canada, and I'm looking for a
>> group of people to discuss this with. Fair Vote Waterloo looks
>> like a good place to start. This group has no meetings scheduled,
>> so is the mailing list the best place to have a conversation? I
>> would also be interested in getting together with a group of
>> people to have a discussion, either by organizing a meeting, or
>> joining some group who is already doing this.
>>> 
>>> This group seems focused on proportional representation as the
>>> best way
>> to reform the electoral system. Not sure how you all feel about
>> the ranked ballot? I'm also more generally interested in
>> democratic reform: ending the dictatorship of the PMO and giving
>> power back to our elected representatives in the house of
>> parliament.
>>> 
>>> Doug Moen. _______________________________________________ This
>>> is the fvc-wat-disc mailing list Post a message:
>>> fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org Unsubscribe:
>> http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_listserv.thinkers.org
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>> End of fvc-wat-disc Digest, Vol 79, Issue 1 
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