(Photo on the Ontario side of the Outaouais river. - Note: I didn't "simulcast" this blog entry with my blog at FC. FC is a dating site... or should be :) I figure that I'm too off-topic for them.)
Yesterday, during the lunch break, I had a chance to listen to radio. A somewhat painful experience (right-click here why. I'm not hard of hearing, but it's close! ), I'm just too curious. I want to know what's going on in the city I am on.
Scanning radio stations with my walkman, I was happy to find Radio-Canada 1ère chaine (in French, bien sur! :) )... and one of their rare in-depth regional news and analysis.
There are provincial elections coming up in October, and this is McGuinty's acid test. Apparently there was a televised debate between leaders of provincial parties. They were saying that it was a lot of show off (as always, isn't it?)... and little content.
There are things that are common with many other provinces... like healthcare, how the waiting lists are unbearable, overcrowded emergency rooms, stay-at-home programs almost non-existent. I was thinking: Have they visited Québec recently? I've got news for you!
Also, it is always during elections that there are all sorts of promises. Better healthcare, better school system, and I almost fainted when I heard the word "deaf". Not the first time I've heard all these nice things, but haven't you noticed that these "feel-good" projects always pop-up at elections time... and they fall into oblivion afterwards?
The reason I'm so cynical, I was standing next to the monument to human rights (read my previous blog entry: Ottawa: Some reminders that we tend to forget ). That little phrase which we are all born "free and equal, in dignity and in rights.
So what it says about dignity and rights when singling some people and using them as electoral play money? Anyway, since I do not live in Ontario, I'll hope their politicians are surprisingly of a better breed than everywhere else. :)
Then, some dynamite stuffs. A referendum! To a Quebecer like me, the word "referendum" is heavily charged! Gee whiz... Ontario wants to secede from Canada?
Well... in some ways, yes! Electorally speaking, that is. It's a referendum on mixed proportional representation. Sheesh, I live in the province next by, and I haven't heard a thing about it! Besides, October 10 is next month. Wow...
I won't lecture you about both electoral systems. If you have relatives in Europe, you are probably aware of "the proportional". Same idea. So, it is a radical departure from our electoral system, derived from the British system.
I've a hunch it would require a constitutional amendment, and I'm highly skeptical that other provinces would accept that. I'm also skeptical that Ontario would dare to take matters in their own hands. :)
Anyway, the local pundits were complaining that past the rhetoric, little has been done to explain both electoral systems to the voters.
Oookay. I wasn't even aware of the referendum, so... :)
Funny, I'm just on the other side of the Outaouais river... and I feel like an alien. Must be something floating in the air in that province, I don't know...
Cheers,
-E
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2 comments:
I'm pretty sure that a lot of Ontarians haven't heard about the referendum either... let alone attempted to understand it. Personally, I think it's more important than the election itself, but that's just my hotheaded opinion.
GRG.
Well, make it two! :)
(But what do I know, I live in the province next by! :) ).
I'm skeptical that it would work well here. Way too complex. We have so few political parties and little population.
Our current system has several flaws, but I like the idea of direct representation. A directly elected official representing one electoral riding.
However with the mixed proportional, you'll have two breeds of elected officials. One representing their riding, as always... and the other kind of officials, representing only their party. That's the part I don't like.
These people won't be even elected directly by the population. You vote for a party and *NOT* for a man.
It is the *party* who will nominate these new guys, according to the number of seats they have to fill in. Woah.
Since these guys represent no electoral ridings whatsoever nor they are directly elected by the population, so how they'll have the said population in mind when they're going to vote? Mhhh...
The other thing I haven't heard... how they expect to have this new election system in place... without requiring a constitutional amendment? It looks to me that it is such a radical departure from our current election system... to remain constitutional.
I'm not up to speed about the electoral issues of all the Ontario political parties (however it seems to me that McGuinty is getting unfairly a lot of flak for the mess Mike Harris left!), but I'll agree with you the referendum is far more important than the election itself!
For one thing: It will change forever the way you'll vote on all upcoming elections. That's important!
I'm even more surprised to hear little about it outside Ontario. Obviously, it is something that could be heading our way.
Cheers!
-E
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