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Move to proportional representation
favoured by most local candidates The NDP and Green Party have taken the strongest stands in their platforms on implementing proportional representation. Brent Wood, the local Green Party candidate, points to his party's platform which clearly calls for proportional representation where the percentage of party seats won equals the percentage of the popular vote won by that party. Under that voting system, all votes will count and the voter participation rate will increase, according to the platform. Linda Slavin, running for the NDP, says proportional representation is a fairer system and an NDP government would hold a national referendum on whether to change the voting system to one based on proportional representation. While the national Conservative Party platform makes no mention of proportional representation, local candidate James Jackson says he is in favour of this change. "Our party is taking a look at electoral reform," he told Peaceful Communities in an interview. "I do know models of proportional representation are being examined in several provinces," he says. "There is ultimately going to be a working model introduced and the Conservative Party will take a serious look at a specific model. I endorse proportional representation." Liberal MP Peter Adams is the lone dissenter, arguing that proportional representation centralizes power at the top. "Each party would have a list of candidates and those at the top would control who represents the party in parliament," he says. "There is no accountability because those on the list would not represent any riding." Adams does not agree with proponents of proportional representation who claim too many votes are wasted because of the current system that rewards only the winner of an election in an individual riding and doesn't recognize the overall votes cast nationally for a party. "No time is wasted," he says. Adams has never received more than 50 per cent of the votes in the three elections he has won beginning in 1993, he points out. "Does that mean I don't work on behalf of those who did not vote for me or that I would work harder if I got 90 per cent of the votes?" Electoral reforms already made by the Liberal government, include $1.75 annually to parties for every vote cast for that party in a national election if they can get at least two per cent of the votes cast, he says. "That will help smaller parties such as the Green Party to grow, particularly between elections." There is little evidence internationally to show that proportional representation means increased voter participation, Adams says. |
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