[fvc-wat-disc] The Record column by Luisa D'Amato

[Bob Jonkman]

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I get quoted in today's column by Luisa D'Amato:

http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/6743051-d-amato-despite-brexit-we-need-a-referendum-on-electoral-reform/

> D’Amato: Despite Brexit, we need a referendum on electoral reform

> Bob Jonkman, co-chair of the Waterloo Region chapter of Fair Vote 
> Canada, says there is barely time to put a new system in place,
> let alone ask people what they think of it

Ms. D'Amato and I had a 20 minute conversation yesterday and that's
only a brief and under-representative quote of what we spoke about.
Among other things, I expressed my opinion that a referendum on
Electoral Reform isn't necessary because:

1) Parliament (and provincial legislatures) may change the electoral
system with a vote in parliament, as they have done for every other
electoral reform issue such as giving the vote to women (1917-1918) or
First Nations people (1960!)

2) A referendum on electoral reform is not a constitutional
requirement. The only issue that affects consitutionality is seat
allocation to the provinces, and that requirement is easily met by not
extending electoral boundaries across provincial lines. (We didn't
discuss it, but there have been many electoral boundary changes,
notably before the 2015 election, which didn't go to a referendum and
were perfectly constitutional)

3) That an effective and equal vote is a right, and that the
First-Past-The-Post system violates that right, and rights issues are
never decided by referenda.

I spoke of the rarity of referenda in Canada, that the only national
referenda have been on issues like prohibition (I thought that was in
the 1930's, but it was in 1898), and the separation of Quebec (1992).
Ms. D'Amato pointed out that we had a municipal referendum on
fluoridation, and pointed out the many provincial referenda on
electoral reform.

We talked about the 2007 referendum in Ontario -- that example is a
great reason to avoid referenda on these topics. Although the McGuinty
Liberals made it an election promise in 2003, the Citizens' Assembly
wasn't formed until 2006, leaving them only six months to become
experts in voting systems and make a recommendation. Elections Ontario
did not have enough information documents available; Fair Vote
Waterloo members went door-to-door, and we ran out. Elections Ontario
themselves were prohibited from giving out information on the proposed
voting system, and when voters went to the polls in October most
didn't even know there was a referendum on.

I expressed dismay that it took the Federal Liberal government eight
months to form the current All-party Parliamentary Committee, that the
Committee's proposal is due on 1 December (and consultations need to
wrapped up by 1 October), that the time it would take to move a bill
through parliament could be as much as year, what with debate,
multiple reading, and senate approval, and that Elections Canada will
need a year to re-tool for a new electoral system.

And that whole conversation was distilled down to the one sentence.

- --Bob.


- --
Bob Jonkman <bjonkman at sobac.com>          Phone: +1-519-635-9413
SOBAC Microcomputer Services             http://sobac.com/sobac/
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