From James Paterson re democracy.On page 5 of the February 2007 issue of Catholic Insight you have a letter sent by a reader from Port au Port, NL in which he states his frustration with our political system that does not fairly represent its constituents. Your reply to his letter states that while democracy is not a perfect system, it is still the best choice. I agree that democracy should be better than a dictatorship, but I am not convinced that the political system we have is the best form of democracy. I would call it "rule by political party." It is very much true that there is voter "apathy" here in Canada and in many other democracies: fewer people are voting every year, it seems. I agree with the writer that the main reason they are apathetic ap·a·thet·ic adj. Lacking interest or concern; indifferent. ap  a·thet is that (especially if they represent minority opinions) their
vote will not be translated into any representation, or, at best, unfair
representation. Enter "proportional representation proportional representation: see representation. proportional representation Electoral system in which the share of seats held by a political party in the legislature closely matches the share of popular votes it received. ." The enclosed en·close also in·close tr.v. en·closed, en·clos·ing, en·clos·es 1. To surround on all sides; close in. 2. To fence in so as to prevent common use: enclosed the pasture. literature is from the B.C. provincial election of 2004. Proportional representation was poorly presented, but nevertheless won a majority in every riding and received 58% approval, just shy of the 60% needed to pass and become legislation. This is a very encouraging sign and I believe that "democratic reform" offers the best chance to reforma system that is bound-up with political party power plays and posturing. The electoral reform Electoral reform projects seek to change the way that public desires are reflected in elections through electoral systems. Reform projects can include measures designed to reform political parties (typically changes to election laws); to redefine citizen eligibility to vote; to vote will take place again in 2009 and has an excellent chance of passing. It is being promoted by Premier Gordon Campbell
Gordon Muir Campbell himself. Interesting. Mayne Island Mayne Island is a rustic 21-km² island in the southern Gulf Islands chain of British Columbia. It is situated midway between the Lower Mainland of BC and Vancouver Island, and has a population of around nine hundred. One well-known resident is children's entertainer Raffi. , BC |
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