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<DIV>The Star had 24 letters about the electoral reform issue today, the
majority of them pro-PR.</DIV>
<DIV><A
href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2016/12/10/prime-minister-justin-trudeau-must-keep-pledge-on-electoral-reform.html">https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2016/12/10/prime-minister-justin-trudeau-must-keep-pledge-on-electoral-reform.html</A></DIV>
<DIV>They haven’t included mine and I haven’t received acknowledgement of it by
them although I sent it several days ago.</DIV>
<DIV>Maybe picking on one of their columnists is a no-no.</DIV>
<DIV>Here is my response to Hepburn’s column.</DIV>
<DIV>Dave A</DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt; mso-line-height-alt: 13.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: en-ca'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Hepburn’s Arguments
Ill-Conceived</FONT></FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: en-ca'></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt; mso-line-height-alt: 13.0pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: en-ca'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Bob Hepburn says changing
our voting system is a bad idea.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>But 88% of the witnesses and briefs submitted by Canadians who have
studied the issue say we need proportional representation, the system used by
90% of other developed democracies in the world.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>What do those countries know that
Hepburn doesn’t?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>PR countries
typically have more stable, longer lasting governments, better representation
for all citizens, more cooperation and consensus, less partisan bitterness,
longer range planning, less policy lurch, better voter turnouts, and sincere
rather than strategic voting.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Systems using multi-member or larger ridings with additional MPs give
constituents more, not less contact with representatives.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Candidate lists adding proportional MPs
can be open and ranked by voters adding more democracy, not less. Canada
is almost alone with its unfair version of democracy. Friends in countries with
PR can’t believe we have stayed with a system where votes are not equal and too
many do not count toward representation.</FONT></FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: en-ca'></SPAN></P>
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<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'><B>From:</B>
<A title=2jennross@gmail.com>Jennifer Ross</A> </DIV>
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<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, December 10, 2016 12:54 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org>FVC Waterloo Region
Discussion</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [fvc-wat-disc] Xmas cards</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
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<DIV>This is great, Eleanor!<BR><BR></DIV>Could I also request a plug for <A
href="http://www.mycanadiandemocracy.ca">www.mycanadiandemocracy.ca</A>, to help
in answering the survey for a proportional outcome?<BR>
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Sat, Dec 10, 2016 at 12:15 AM, Eleanor Grant <SPAN
dir=ltr><<A target=_blank>eleanor7000@gmail.com</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
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<DIV><SPAN class=HOEnZb></SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV>
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