Perhaps the recent surprise turnabout in regards to not going ahead with electoral reform was a wake-up call for Canadians who weren’t paying attention to this issue, or trusting that it was already in the making.
We are bombarded with so many other pressing political issues at this time that it can get to be disheartening and easy to get cynical.
Think about it. As it is now, a political party comes into power and, for the next four years, the opposition’s goal is basically to criticize it. In the next election, the incumbent government is ousted, becomes the opposition party and, in turn, spends the next four years criticizing the new government – and so it goes.
This is oversimplifying matters but really not that far from the truth, is it?
A fairer proportional type of representation in the House of Commons would require party leaders to work collaboratively in policy making. It would prevent any political party from having majority powers without having received a majority of votes.
A petition in the House of Common (https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-616) has now caught on fire right after the broken promise was recently announced.
Let your voice be heard. Let’s not fall into the familiar trap, thinking it’s a done deal and “I can’t do anything about it anyway!” After all, a decision can be given further thought, and possibly reversed or altered, if there is a strong enough demand for it. Concerned citizens can’t afford to be complacent.
Marie-Paule Lacasse,
Sicamous
