Quote:
Originally Posted by edslunch
Lots of good words about democracy but adding a few more voters isn’t going to save it.
Here’s where I’m coming from. I’ve already stated that there is no specific logic that proves allowing only citizens to vote is better than the alternative. It is a specific boundary chosen by those who define our citizenship and is enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms:
Further the Department of Justice further adds this in their analysis of charter rights relating to the democratic process:
( https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sj...heck/art3.html)
Municipal voting rules are controlled by the provincial government and they can relax this requirement if they choose. The fact that it is enshrined as a unique right in the charter speaks to its importance as a principle. I don’t see a good argument for watering down that principle to let a PR vote a few years early or vote while delaying citizenship indefinitely.
Further it does nothing to help the city and is a waste of time and energy IMO. What happens if it passes? X% more people vote. If it doesn’t, X% more people continue to not vote. |
Does this potential watering down concern you more or less than existing disparities of vote impact? How do you feel about someone in Falconridge having 1/52688ths of a say in determining their MLA while someone in Falher AB has nearly twice as much power with only 28992 other people living in their riding? Make sure you're sitting down when you compare a PEI voter to a first-class citizen living in Brantford. (just using prov/fed data because it's much easier to find; Calgary wards are a lot closer to equal, but some voters are more watered down than others).
Which actually raises an interesting question about this at the prov/federal level - we know there is a general disparity of # of electors in rural vs urban districts, but it is amplified even further when we look at total population. How do you feel about urban voters being so watered down now?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slava
Lol, glad to see you pop up with support for the UCP actions these days!
I'm fine with deficit spending for capital projects, just not operations. I still can't even believe people debate this. That said, I have zero interest in debating this for what has to be the millionth time.
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You had a lot more than zero interest and brought it up frequently when the NDP were in power. Must just be a weird coincidence that you got tired of talking about it halfway through 2019.