For Canadian DU'ers

[hermetic]

This sounds like a very interesting concept and I would love to know what your thoughts are on it: "proportional representation — where seats are given to parties based on their share of the province-wide vote — could be in place within the next three years"
Article in the Ontario Star: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1100818210913&call_pageid=968256289824&col=968342212737&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes

[Village Idiot]

1. This makes too much sense to be adopted

by the Ontario gov't...

[Culture Mind]

2. STV vote

British Columbians will get to vote on this during our next provincial election (May 17, 2005). Voters will get to decide if BC will adopt the STV (Single Transferable Vote) system to decide future provincial elections.
More here: http://www.citizensassembly.bc.ca/public

[iverglas]

3. a topic that deserves more attention!

I've noted before that I can be a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to forms of government that have been chugging along fairly well for a while, but I have been converted to proportional representation in principle. I'm just not familiar with what might actually be proposed in Canada and how it might work.

I just ran across this site/organization I hadn't encountered before:

http://www.fairvotecanada.org/fvc.php/

It talks about BC's Citizens' Assembly, and Ontario's proposal for a similar body.

I have to get a bunch of work done today in order to be free to do my duty as a citizen of Canada and the world tomorrow, but I'm going to try to fulfil my duty to pay more attention to this stuff, and read some of that material in the near future.

Anybody have any particular info / positions on prop. rep. to share, for my / our edification?

We could invite some Australians to tell us about it. ;)

[justinsb]

4. The problem with Proportional representation is..

That it would likely lead to minority governments forever, meaning much less stability. I prefer the preferential ballot system by which you vote for, for example, your three favorite candidates in order so, 1) Green 2) NDP 3) Liberal, then after your first canidate is elminiated (say get's only 10% of the vote) the drop that one and move your vote to the second, if your second candidate is also not going to win - say it looks like this...Conservative 37% Liberal 36% NDP 27% the last candidate would also be dropped so it would be Liberal 63% Conservative 37%. So you go from your favorite down to 'least offensive' - this would work to the NDPs advantage as often as the Liberals but it still gives new and emerging parties a fair chance.