<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>I sent out this letter to The Star earlier today for comments but maybe sent it to the wrong group address.</p><p class=MsoNormal>Let me know your thoughts.</p><p class=MsoNormal>I know it’s over the 150 word limit but couldn’t pare it down any more.</p><p class=MsoNormal>Maybe they’ll let it go.</p><p class=MsoNormal>Dave A</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>More misinformation against electoral reform.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Chrystia Freeland says “Facts and truth matter.” Bob Hepburn’s column ‘Rejecting the siren call for electoral reform’ rejects both. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Hepburn points to five risks, all as distorted as the election results under our current system.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sent from <a href="https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986">Mail</a> for Windows 10</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='border:none;padding:0in'><b>From: </b><a href="mailto:sharonsommerville@gmail.com">Sharon Sommerville</a><br><b>Sent: </b>Sunday, June 17, 2018 1:13 PM<br><b>To: </b><a href="mailto:fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org">FVC Waterloo Region Discussion</a><br><b>Subject: </b>[fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?</p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Hello All,</p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>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?</p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>It would be interesting.</p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Cheers,</p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal>S.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>