[fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?

[Sharon Sommerville]

Thanks Dave, it is very good.   Hope that the Star prints it, you could
also send it to The Record.

Cheers,
S.

On Sun, Jun 17, 2018 at 10:23 PM, Dave Arthur <arthurd23 at bell.net> wrote:

> I sent out this letter to The Star earlier today for comments but maybe
> sent it to the wrong group address.
>
> Let me know your thoughts.
>
> I know it’s over the 150 word limit but couldn’t pare it down any more.
>
> Maybe they’ll let it go.
>
> Dave A
>
>
>
>
>
> *More misinformation against electoral reform.*
>
> Chrystia Freeland says “Facts and truth matter.” Bob Hepburn’s column
> ‘Rejecting  the siren call for electoral reform’ rejects both.
>
> Hepburn points to five risks, all as distorted as the election results
> under our current system.
>
> First, minority governments have served Canada well and tiny parties do
> not get enough votes to meet the threshold required in most of the 90% of
> developed democracies using proportional systems. Pointing to atypical
> countries like Israel and Italy is misleading.
>
> Second, Canada has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the world while
> most countries using PR where all votes count and strategic voting is not a
> factor have significantly higher voter turnouts.
>
> Third, extreme right-wing parties are unlikely to gain oversized
> influence. Research shows governments elected under PR systems have more
> cooperation, consensus, and better long-range planning.
>
> Fourth, PR systems, including MMP, have various methods of awarding, not
> appointing, MMPs that can give voters more choice, more representation, and
> better balance of urban and rural interests.
>
> Fifth, B.C.’s 2005 referendum approved change to PR with 58% but was
> denied by the government that had won its election under FPTP with 39% of
> votes and required 60%. PEI’s referendum voted 52% for MMP but had voter
> turnout too low to be accepted. Ontario’s 2007 referendum, due to poor
> preparation by the government, was a fiasco. 70% of Ontarians did not know
> what the referendum was about and only 10% understood the proposed MMP
> system.
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows 10
>
>
>
> *From: *Sharon Sommerville <sharonsommerville at gmail.com>
> *Sent: *Sunday, June 17, 2018 1:13 PM
> *To: *FVC Waterloo Region Discussion <fvc-wat-disc at listserv.thinkers.org>
> *Subject: *[fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?
>
>
>
> Hello All,
>
>
>
> Would it be of interest to invite Bob Hepburn to discuss PR with Dennis
> Pilon or the journalist that wrote that supportive article in the Star?
>
>
>
> It would be interesting.
>
>
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> S.
>
>
>
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