<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div></div><div>Resubmit it with your phone number, Dave. And call Ron DeRuyter and innocently ask if he’s planning on printing it. </div><div><br>On Jun 21, 2018, at 10:06 AM, Dave Arthur <<a href="mailto:arthurd23@bell.net">arthurd23@bell.net</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
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--></style><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">Doesn’t look promising for my letter.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Nothing from The Star.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The Record called and it sounded like they were planning to print it but haven’t yet.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I am suspicious that criticism of their columnists facts and truth spells no.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Dave</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:cdcampbell9@gmail.com">Catherine Campbell</a><br><b>Sent: </b>Monday, June 18, 2018 1:17 AM<br><b>To: </b><a href="mailto:fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org">FVC Waterloo Region Discussion</a><br><b>Subject: </b>Re: [fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?</p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Excellent letter, Dave<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br>On Jun 17, 2018, at 10:35 PM, Sharon Sommerville <<a href="mailto:sharonsommerville@gmail.com">sharonsommerville@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"><div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Thanks Dave, it is very good. Hope that the Star prints it, you could also send it to The Record.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Cheers,<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">S.<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class="MsoNormal">On Sun, Jun 17, 2018 at 10:23 PM, Dave Arthur <<a href="mailto:arthurd23@bell.net" target="_blank">arthurd23@bell.net</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><blockquote style="border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in"><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">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" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Let me know your thoughts.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">I know it’s over the 150 word limit but couldn’t pare it down any more.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Maybe they’ll let it go.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Dave A</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt">More misinformation against electoral reform.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><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. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Hepburn points to five risks, all as distorted as the election results under our current system.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><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.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Sent from <a href="https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986" target="_blank">Mail</a> for Windows 10</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p><div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b>From: </b><a href="mailto:sharonsommerville@gmail.com" target="_blank">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" target="_blank">FVC Waterloo Region Discussion</a><br><b>Subject: </b>[fvc-wat-disc] Invite Bob Hepburn to talk?</p></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Hello All,</p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">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" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">It would be interesting.</p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Cheers,</p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">S.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> </p></div></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br>_______________________________________________<br>This is the fvc-wat-disc mailing list<br>Post a message: <a href="mailto:fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org">fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org</a><br>Unsubscribe: <a href="http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_listserv.thinkers.org" target="_blank">http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_listserv.thinkers.org</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:.5in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;margin-left:.5in">_______________________________________________<br>This is the fvc-wat-disc mailing list<br>Post a message: <a href="mailto:fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org">fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org</a><br>Unsubscribe: <a href="http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_listserv.thinkers.org">http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_listserv.thinkers.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>This is the fvc-wat-disc mailing list</span><br><span>Post a message: <a href="mailto:fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org">fvc-wat-disc@listserv.thinkers.org</a></span><br><span>Unsubscribe: <a href="http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_listserv.thinkers.org">http://listserv.thinkers.org/mailman/listinfo/fvc-wat-disc_listserv.thinkers.org</a></span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>