AlolanVulpix

joined 3 years ago
MODERATOR OF
[–] AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca 0 points 3 months ago

Remember when the Liberals also unveiled their plan to make the 2015 election be the last under FPTP?

collapsed inline mediaLiberals promised 2015 would be the last election under FPTP

[–] AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Your continued cherry-picking of specific countries while ignoring the fundamental issue of democratic representation is telling.

First, electoral reform isn't just "my" pressing issue - 76% of Canadians support electoral reform. This overwhelming support exists because millions of citizens recognize their votes are systematically discarded under our current system.

As for Germany and Italy, you're mischaracterizing how PR functions in these countries. In Germany, the AfD has representation proportional to their actual support, while coalition dynamics have successfully kept them from power. Their support would exist under any electoral system - PR simply makes it visible rather than hidden within a mainstream party.

Meanwhile, PR countries like New Zealand, the Nordic nations, and many others consistently outperform FPTP countries on measures of economic equality, social welfare, and policy stability. Your selective examples ignore this broader evidence.

The core issue remains: in Ontario's last election, the PCs formed a "majority" government with just 43% of the vote. Under FPTP, 57% of voters who explicitly rejected them have no meaningful representation. How is this democratic?

What you call "dodging a bullet" is actually dodging democracy itself. A system where every vote contributes meaningfully to representation isn't a radical idea - it's a fundamental democratic principle. When you oppose this principle, what you're really saying is that some citizens deserve representation while others don't, based solely on where they live or who they support.

The mathematical reality is undeniable: PR produces governments that more accurately reflect how people actually vote. This isn't a minor technical detail - it's the entire purpose of representative democracy.

[–] AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca 0 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I have to disagree with a few points here.

First, it's not accurate that "Liberals said they'd change it. That's more than any of the other parties have said they'd do." The Green Party, NDP, and Bloc Québécois consistently support proportional representation. In fact, in 2024, all the Bloc, Greens, NDP, and Independent MPs, 3 Conservatives and 39 Liberal Party MPs voted for a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform - but 107 Liberal MPs (68.6%) voted against it.

Second, Justin Trudeau admitted in 2024 that Liberals were "deliberately vague" about electoral reform to appeal to Fair Vote Canada advocates, while privately preferring a non-proportional system that would have benefited their party. This suggests their promises weren't made in good faith.

On housing specifically - yes, it's important that parties address the crisis. But under our current electoral system, we're vulnerable to what experts call policy lurch, where each new government wastes billions undoing the previous government's work. Even a promising housing program can be cancelled after the next election, with all investments wasted.

This is why electoral reform is fundamental rather than just another policy promise. Proportional representation creates the conditions for stable long-term policies on housing, climate change, and other complex issues that require planning beyond a single electoral cycle.

I'm not saying we should ignore housing - it's critically important. But fixing our democratic foundation would help ensure housing policies (and all others) better reflect what Canadians actually vote for and are more resistant to politically-motivated cancellation.

[–] AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 months ago (9 children)

You make fair points about housing and cannabis legalization. The Liberals do occasionally follow through on promises, especially when they align with both political opportunity and public pressure.

However, electoral reform is more fundamental than any single policy area. When Liberals promised that 2015 would be "the last election under first-past-the-post", they weren't just offering another policy - they were promising to fix the democratic foundation upon which all other policies rest. According to the opposition, Trudeau repeated this commitment to "make every vote count" more than 1,800 times, clearly understanding how much it resonated with voters.

The Electoral Reform Committee recommended proportional representation after extensive consultation, but Trudeau abandoned it when he couldn't get his preferred system. More recently, 68.6% of Liberal MPs voted against even creating a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.

This matters because in a proper democracy, citizens are entitled to meaningful representation. A housing program (however needed) can be implemented and cancelled with each election cycle under our current system - what experts call policy lurch. But proportional representation would fundamentally reshape how all policies are developed, ensuring they better reflect what Canadians actually vote for.

I'm not saying we should dismiss other policies - housing is critically important. But it's worth noting that the same party repeatedly promising electoral reform for over a century (since Mackenzie King in 1919) while never delivering it suggests a deeply entrenched pattern that voters should question.

[–] AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 months ago

It's still better to vote for parties that promise proportional representation (Greens🟢/NDP🟧/Bloc⚜️) than none at all (LPC/CPC).

[–] AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca 20 points 3 months ago (2 children)

If we had proportional representation, we could vote for parties that took serious action. Instead, we're still playing this same broken game.

[–] AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 months ago
[–] AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca 43 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (5 children)
[–] AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 months ago

PR is one of my prime issues and i generally vote for the party with the strongest support of it.

Yes, same!

The more people like us that make proportional representation an election issue, the more politicians will cater to us. We must stand strong together!

 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/39711547

CBC's funding increases

CBC/Radio-Canada’s funding by the federal government is well below the average funding of G7 countries, which is $62.20 per capita. Currently, the government grants approximately $1.38 billion to CBC/Radio-Canada, which represents approximately $33.66 per capita, thereby placing Canada in sixth place in the Group of Seven (G7) in terms of public funding per capita for its national public broadcaster. The per capita funding that CBC/Radio-Canada receives is therefore equal to approximately half of the G7 average. The Minister intends to bring Canada more into line with its G7 counterparts.

 

CBC's funding increases

CBC/Radio-Canada’s funding by the federal government is well below the average funding of G7 countries, which is $62.20 per capita. Currently, the government grants approximately $1.38 billion to CBC/Radio-Canada, which represents approximately $33.66 per capita, thereby placing Canada in sixth place in the Group of Seven (G7) in terms of public funding per capita for its national public broadcaster. The per capita funding that CBC/Radio-Canada receives is therefore equal to approximately half of the G7 average. The Minister intends to bring Canada more into line with its G7 counterparts.

1
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca to c/ontario@lemmy.ca
 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/39631999

CBC News

Nothing posted yet.

Radio Canada here.

1
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by AlolanVulpix@lemmy.ca to c/canadapolitics@lemmy.ca
 

CBC News

Nothing posted yet.

Radio Canada here.

 

Hi r/Ontario. As you may have heard, there’s an election in Ontario right now. Doug Ford called it more than a year early because he cares more about keeping his job than he does about the people of Ontario. In light of that it’s been really encouraging to read all the discussions about the election here and see so many folks encouraging their neighbours to get out and vote.

Ontario Greens are fighting for a fairer Ontario. We have a plan to build more homes and bring costs down, cut taxes for folks making under $65,000 while asking the wealthiest to pay their fare share, and protect our critical food and farming industry from sprawl.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can find the rest of our platform at: https://gpo.ca/platform/

I wanted to take a moment to answer as many questions as I can about all things provincial politics, electoral reform, and fantasy tunnels.

I’ll be back on Monday at 12PM to answer as many questions as I can. In the meantime GO VOTE!

 

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In Canada, Ecosia’s reforestation project is located within the Acadian Forest and focuses on restoring its historic diversity in areas that have been degraded by centuries of intensive land use.

Video playlist: How Ecosia works.

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Ecosia is a not-for-profit tech company that plants and protects trees. By dedicating 100% of its profits to the planet, Ecosia has planted over 214,229,374 million trees since its founding in December 2009. In addition to trees, Ecosia invests in environmental and social initiatives like regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and community-driven climate projects.


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