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

[Donald Fraser]

OK I take it my response does not please our group ... my rationale for
saying that a referendum would be OK with public education FIRST ... was to
give the public education

If I didn't respond that such a referendum would be OK then I didn't have a
reason to exhibit in the letter what we would (and are) presenting to the
public.

On 29 June 2016 at 21:20, Bob Jonkman <bjonkman at sobac.com> wrote:

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> On 2016-06-29 08:32 PM, Laurel L. Russwurm wrote:
> > Bob:
> >
> > Your response here needs to be posted as an article on the fvcwrc
> > blog.
> >
> > Maybe illustrated with a copy of the FVC postcard picture and an
> > invitation to people to come pick up a postcard and/or ask
> > questions at the Fair Vote booth at the upcoming summer festivals.
>
> Done!
>
>  http://www.fairvotewrc.ca/on-referenda-consultations-and-postcards/
>
> The blog is also open for contributions by Fair Vote Waterloo members.
> Sign up at https://www.fairvotewrc.ca/wp-login.php?action=register and
> write something!
>
> - --Bob.
>
>
> > On 06/29/2016 12:23 AM, Jennifer Ross wrote:
> >> Yes, very disappointing.  I couldn't believe you guys were
> >> tweeting it to make people read that piece of rubbish.  I'm sorry
> >> you had to be the poster-boy for "but I did get a second
> >> viewpoint" journalism.
> >>
> >> On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 4:11 PM, Bob Jonkman <bjonkman at sobac.com
> >> <mailto:bjonkman at sobac.com>> wrote:
> >>
> > 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.
> >
> >
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> - --
> >> No other Western democratic country concentrates as much
> >> political power in the hands of one person as Canada does with
> >> her Prime Minister.
> >>
> >>
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