[fvc-wat-disc] Fwd: Proportional Representation: Freedom, Equality and Cooperation

[Cathy Scott]

HI, All,
I am forwarding this email from Marc Gasparotto, which, I think, describes
the argument for PR.
Cathy

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Marc Gasparotto <mdgaspar at lakeheadu.ca>
Date: Tue, Mar 16, 2021 at 5:53 PM
Subject: Proportional Representation: Freedom, Equality and Cooperation
To: Fair Vote Canada Chapters <fair-vote-canada-chapters at googlegroups.com>


There have been many comments about how Proportional Representation would
increase competition among parties in the form of jockeying for votes or in
terms of lowering the barriers of entry for new parties. While that’s
certainly true I’ve never really found such arguments appealing.

I think it’s because it doesn’t directly address my main problem with
FPTP:* the
exclusion of people from the democratic decision-making process. *

In my opinion, politics isn’t a game between parties, it’s a game between
people. In this regard, an election isn’t the process of determining “who
wins” but rather *“who gets to play.” *

Within our politics there are actually two games:

   1. Local elections to determine riding’s “player” (game 1)
   2. House of Commons decision-making process (game 2)

In this regard, *local elections are a player selection process* for the
larger game of decision-making in parliament. The problem is that
single-member districts only provide a "player" for one group of voters.
This prevents most people from participating in the second game: *the
decision-making process. *

In this regard, *First Past the Post acts as a gatekeeper. *

"A gatekeeper is a person who controls access to something, or more
abstractly, controls who is granted access to a category or status.
Gatekeepers assess who is “in or out.” One critique of gatekeeping roles is
the potential to create or reinforce inequality, for example if entry is
made more difficult for minority applicants or artists."

So when we talk about levelling the playing field for political parties,
we're actually not talking about the right subject. What multi-member
districts do is *level the playing field for people to participate* in the
decision-making process.

The inability to participate in this process is actually an *infringement
on your political freedom* (ie. the power to act/political agency). In this
regard, *multi-member districts give voters an equal opportunity to act in
parliament. *

As MPs act in parliament by voting on legislation, it then stands that *the
ability to act in parliament is called having voting power.*

By offering multiple representations per riding, PR gives voters an equal
opportunity to act in parliament. *This is political equality.*

Hence, *Proportional Representation gives you voting power.*

Once in parliament, *people can cooperate with each other *in the form of
political coalitions and alliances through the proxy of their parties.

So to sum, I believe Proportional Representation is above all about three
values connected through political power: *freedom, equality and
cooperation. *

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