Dear Editor,
The first caller into QR770’s ‘Your Province. Your Premier’ radio show last Saturday morning asked Premier Danielle Smith how can Alberta be more fairly represented in Ottawa?
That’s a great idea, she said, freshly back from vacation. Smith stated, “We know in Alberta that we have to redraw our (electoral) boundaries… to accommodate population growth.”
In fact, that process has recently concluded but is flawed, writes Andrew Coyne in the Globe and Mail:
“… the population surge of the past couple of years… has made the recent redrawing of Canada’s electoral boundaries obsolete, before it has even gone into effect. The idea that the number of people in each riding should be roughly equal… is a simple extension of the (democratic) principle that every vote should count equally.
“And yet Canada’s constituencies differ in population to a quite remarkable degree – more than in other democracies, and more than at any time in the past.
“What this really means is that the votes of people in small (population-wise), Liberal, Atlantic ridings are worth more – many times more – than the votes of people in large, Conservative, Alberta ridings. There is absolutely no way to justify this (inequity).”
To me, yes, electoral boundaries are important to ensure roughly the same ratio of constituents per MP, and per MLA too. (In Alberta, likewise, rural votes are currently ‘worth more’ than urban votes.)
But even more important, I think, is the core democratic principle that every vote must count equally across the country (and across the province).
That is the driving force behind federal motion M-86 to be put to a free vote in Parliament in February. M-86 Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform states: “In Canada’s current electoral system, the majority of voters cast ballots for a candidate who does not get elected, and many voters feel that election results do not accurately reflect their views.”
I wrote to Foothills MP John Barlow asking him to vote ‘yes’ on this critical motion. His emailed response included the following statements:
“I do agree there is a need for change and issues must be addressed. Ultimately, increasing Western representation in the House and Senate would play a vital role in reflecting the federal character of Canada. Fair representation, including within the House of Commons, and a fair equalization program are top priorities for the Conservative opposition.”
I urge each of you to call/write your MP to help push for a ‘yes’ vote. This motion is already supported by a number of Conservative MPs who agree that the status quo is not fair to all Canadians.
Gordon Petersen
Okotoks
