Quote:
Originally posted by Shawnski@May 18 2005, 04:49 PM
Electoral reform IS needed. But I believe you can bank on one thing for certain... it won't happen in Canada any time soon. In order to make these changes, it would have to open up the Constitutional debates. The Bloc in Quebec would have nothing to do with this as they have the most to lose. Provincially, the PQ would certainly be totally against it as well.
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It would require a complete reworking of the provincial/national government mix. Right now we have a very mixed bag. The "have" provinces are less inclined to support the strong federal government model while the "have nots" are more likely to rely on the equalization payments and therefore support the feds. Actions like the recent deals with the maritime provinices on resource revenue are a step in the right direction.
We also have a bit of a schizophrenic relationship federally/provincially with programs like healthcare. Even though they are administered locally, they are funded federally. You would have to have a complete review of the taxing authority of the different levels of government to match their responsibilities in delivering the services.
It's a shame that the BC vote didn't go through. I think we have a unique opportunity to try these types of PR systems provincially to prove to the feds that they could work nationally. Perhaps Alberta should consider it. It wouldn't be that great a threat to the PC's as they would figure to be the majority anyway.