I just read this in the Globe and Mail that bill C-12 has been dropped. The bill would have added 30 more seats to the House of Commons, 18 in Ontario, 7 in BC and 5 in Alberta. Without these seats, there is a growing undemocratic nature of our House of Commons in Canada.
BC and Alberta have more people than Quebec but have fewer seats. This is the first time in Canadian history that two provinces with more people have had fewer MPs than one with fewer people.
There is no justification for ongoing electoral discrimination against people in BC, Alberta and Ontario. The current formula entrenches inequity without justification. There is no justification why some provinces should have smaller populations per riding than others. Section 3 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms within the constitution makes it clear that you can not allow one province to have more MPs than another one unless they hit the senate clause limit.
The courts have said for geographic reasons there are special circumstances in which there can be a lower population riding, but it never said that a long term systemic discrimination against some provinces is reasonable.
Entrenching an unfair distribution of MPs in Canada is also clearly in contravention of section 15 of the Charter and Rights and Freedoms. We are being discriminated against as a definable group.
Am I pissed off? Yes, very much so. It is patently unfair that some people are given more political power than others in this country
1 comment:
It's indeed a scary trend how willingly politicians throw away the principle of one person, one vote. Here in BC, the utter contempt shown to the boundaries commission's first report - by both parties - was disgusting.
Harper's bill, while flawed given both constitutional and accepted conventions associated with provincial representation restraints, tried to improve the situation. His government's willingness to sell out his western base, time and time again in the name of political expediancy, is shameful.
Post a Comment