Dear Editor:
Re: First Past the Post Has Faults But Is Better Than Alternatives, Sept. 15 Mailbox.
It’s depressing to read a letter about electoral reform that contains so much misinformation. To cast all proportional systems as “list” systems with little local connection is really unhelpful, and no mention was made of the current extensive review that the federal government has put in place.
In Canada, we elect members (MPs) to the federal Parliament to represent us. I can guarantee (letter-writer)Mr. Chivo that when the electoral system is changed to a system of proportional representation, Canada will still have the same system of government (representative democracy). The current review of the electoral system is focused on fairness in our voting system.
In the current single-member plurality system (first past the post) that we use to elect our federal MPs, millions of votes are wasted – the votes do not count towards getting anyone elected. In constituencies where one party dominates, there is little or no reason to vote for any other party, leading to voter apathy, and low voter turnout.
Prime Minister Trudeau promised that the 2015 election would be the last under the first-past-the-post system. I am counting on my MP Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal), and the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform, the Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef and the Prime Minister to ensure that Canada approves and implements a new electoral system so that our democratic institutions more accurately reflect the views of Canadians when they cast their ballots.
To paraphrase the Canadian Constitution – every citizen has the right to vote, but for that to be a truly meaningful right, a person’s vote must count.
Alison Watt
North Vancouver
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