To all Ontario readers:
There is a provincial election on October 10. Forget about whether you should vote for Tyler Tory, LaQueeta Liberal or Nancy NDPer. In the opinion of The Quintonian, the only question that matters is whether you vote for the Mixed Member Proportional system. In our opinion, this is the most important election in the history of Canada. Finally, if enough people vote yes, Ontario will have meaningful ballot choice, "stronger representation and fairer results".
Let's face it, every election is the same. One of the ol' gasbag parties, the Liberals or Conservatives or NDP (usually the first two) receives around 40% of the vote. But because they win more seats than the other parties combined, they get to rule like Joe Stalin for four or five years. Their resulting arrogance rightfully pisses off large segments of the electorate. But come election time, they start tossing around c-notes and g-notes, and maybe they even win another majority. Even if they don't, and get tossed out, the damage is done. Take (please!) for instance the Khanate of Mike Harris. Harris, the provincial legislative version of one of Genghis' duller grandsons, laid waste to vast segments of Ontario's civil society. He managed to achieve this over 7 years and two "large majorities" despite the harsh opposition of almost 60% of the voting population. The opposition of the sizable anti-Khan bloc verged on, and often surpassed, seething hatred.
There are plenty of other good reasons to implement MMP. For example, under the current system, a resident in a populated urban riding in downtown Toronto with 100,000 people has less voting power than one living in a remote riding with 40,000. Is that right? Is the urban resident less a person? Judging by the way the City of Toronto is routinely shit upon by parties in power, who owe their elections to rural areas and suburbia, yes, the urban resident is less a person. Meanwhile, the Green Party is constantly turning heads with its wise and logical platform. But people don't want to "waste" their vote on the Green Party, which never elects no-one, so they elect some scoundrel from an "established party" instead, who mouths enviro-friendly platitudes during the campaign and then turns around and approves a new coal plant or subdivision a few months later. Or else tries to build a multi-level parking garage for their SUV collection, like the Liberal Environment Minister Laurel Broten attempted this summer http://www.thestar.com/News/article/230332 (The environment minister, for goodness sake!)
Anyhow, that's enough political palaver for now. But Vote for MMP, willya! Read all about it here:
Current environment minister's house (awaiting automated SUV multi-level garage):
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