The Conservatives were caught cheating multiple times by an organization (Elections Canada) doing its job. The penalties should be far harsher for cheating in an election than they are right now. I believe that Elections Canada should be stronger, not weaker, and that transparency and accountability should come first because Canadians need to know when something is amiss.
Under the new proposed "Fair Elections" Act, Canadians would never have learned that the Robocall scandal had taken place until charges were laid. Is that transparent? I don’t think so.
Because they have a majority, they are trying to ram through legislation that will prevent them from being exposed in the future until the event is well past, or they have a chance to bury it. Either way, this legislation runs against the very values that the Conservatives were elected upon: transparency and accountability.
If there ever was a time to overhaul the Elections Act to replace our First Past the Post electoral system with some form of Proportional Representation, like other former British colonies such as Australia and New Zealand have done, now is the time!
Our electoral system is essentially an oligarchy when a majority government, false majority or real, is elected. If not abused, it can work. But, when abused it fails to protect the interests of the majority of Canadian citizens because the checks and balances ( re: Committees, Senate, etc.) are no longer functioning as designed.
This Conservative government has abused its privilege of governing at almost every turn. So much so, that even the most ardent Reformers are turning their backs on Harper.
It’s time for real change to truly improve democracy in Canada not just tinker with an outdated, failing system that was designed to serve a population that was grossly uneducated. This is no longer the case now that most Canadians have a minimum of a highschool eduction. We need a new electoral system for an educated population that engages citizens in the governing of their own country rather than dictating to them what is best.
The time for real change is now, before we go down the wrong path.
The Conservatives were caught cheating multiple times by an organization (Elections Canada) doing its job. The penalties should be far harsher for cheating in an election than they are right now. I believe that Elections Canada should be stronger, not weaker, and that transparency and accountability should come first because Canadians need to know when something is amiss.
Under the new proposed "Fair Elections" Act, Canadians would never have learned that the Robocall scandal had taken place until charges were laid. Is that transparent? I don’t think so.
Because they have a majority, they are trying to ram through legislation that will prevent them from being exposed in the future until the event is well past, or they have a chance to bury it. Either way, this legislation runs against the very values that the Conservatives were elected upon: transparency and accountability.
If there ever was a time to overhaul the Elections Act to replace our First Past the Post electoral system with some form of Proportional Representation, like other former British colonies such as Australia and New Zealand have done, now is the time!
Our electoral system is essentially an oligarchy when a majority government, false majority or real, is elected. If not abused, it can work. But, when abused it fails to protect the interests of the majority of Canadian citizens because the checks and balances ( re: Committees, Senate, etc.) are no longer functioning as designed.
This Conservative government has abused its privilege of governing at almost every turn. So much so, that even the most ardent Reformers are turning their backs on Harper.
It’s time for real change to truly improve democracy in Canada not just tinker with an outdated, failing system that was designed to serve a population that was grossly uneducated. This is no longer the case now that most Canadians have a minimum of a highschool eduction. We need a new electoral system for an educated population that engages citizens in the governing of their own country rather than dictating to them what is best.
The time for real change is now, before we go down the wrong path.