The Toronto Star is not where I usually turn for reinforcement, but Richard Gwyn puts it well when he writes:
“I have quarrels with PR. Thereafter, one in four members of the Legislature, (39 of the total of 129), won't be elected. They will, instead, be nominated by their respective parties; that is, be appointed by party managers.”
Therein lies the crux of the problem with electoral reform as it has been proposed. 25% of the legislature will be political hacks who probably couldn't get elected, or didn’t get elected. What happens if a pr MPP resigns or dies between Ontario’s fixed-date elections? - the respective party get to appoint any loser hanging around the office who will toe the party line.
One possible way to ameliorate the situation would be for the parties to table the lists of who they would appoint in the order they would be chosen with no possibility of adding to the list after the election. At least voters would get to see what kind of talents the parties were proposing to appoint beefier they went to the polls. But it would still be a daunting task for voters and the media to assess the competence of every name on the lists. My guess is, should the pr referendum carry, we wont’ know who 25% of our MPPs will be until a few days after the election when Dalton, John and Howard trot out their appointees.
It’s almost the Family Compact redux and there was violence in the streets (well along Young Street in north Toronto) over that. Will it be pikes and pitchforks time again?
“I have quarrels with PR. Thereafter, one in four members of the Legislature, (39 of the total of 129), won't be elected. They will, instead, be nominated by their respective parties; that is, be appointed by party managers.”
Therein lies the crux of the problem with electoral reform as it has been proposed. 25% of the legislature will be political hacks who probably couldn't get elected, or didn’t get elected. What happens if a pr MPP resigns or dies between Ontario’s fixed-date elections? - the respective party get to appoint any loser hanging around the office who will toe the party line.
One possible way to ameliorate the situation would be for the parties to table the lists of who they would appoint in the order they would be chosen with no possibility of adding to the list after the election. At least voters would get to see what kind of talents the parties were proposing to appoint beefier they went to the polls. But it would still be a daunting task for voters and the media to assess the competence of every name on the lists. My guess is, should the pr referendum carry, we wont’ know who 25% of our MPPs will be until a few days after the election when Dalton, John and Howard trot out their appointees.
It’s almost the Family Compact redux and there was violence in the streets (well along Young Street in north Toronto) over that. Will it be pikes and pitchforks time again?
