CAC Political Forum 2019- Electoral Reform
We asked readers "What matters to you in the upcoming federal election?" We sent the questions to all candidates running on Sept. 11 and have printed their responses, unedited, in the order we received them. We did not receive responses from Rudolf Neumayer, People's Party of Canada, or Daniel Patrick Grogan, Rhinoceros Party.
What is your party's position on electoral reform? ​
Tim Thompson, Green Party of Canada: The Green Party of Canada believes that every Canadian deserves a voice, especially those in rural New Brunswick who have been left behind by politics as usual in Ottawa. We will fight for electoral reform to ensure that every voter has a voice in our government. The results of the current first-past-the-post system produce leaders who are not represented by the majority of the population. Electoral reform will be a priority of the Green Party and we will not support any other party unless we can work together to achieve a new voting system of proportional representation that gives all Canadians a real voice in Ottawa.
Rob Moore, Conservative Party of Canada: Members of Parliament are elected to represent their constituents in Ottawa. Too often, MPs simply tow the party line and do not reflect the values and priorities of their constituents. Conservatives believe there must be free votes in the House of Commons so MPs can vote for their constituents wishes. Conservatives also believe that when you change the rules of democracy, everyone gets to have a say. Our position remains that any change to the way we elect Members of Parliament must only be decided in a referendum where Canadians decide.
John Evans, National Citizens Alliance: End the corporate globalist misinformation and control over federal politics. Empower the Canadian people through citizen-initiated reform, citizen-initiated legislation and recall of any MP and new measures to reign in conflict of interest and special interest control over federal policy including the revolving door between federal government and corporate boardrooms.
Alaina Lockhart, Liberal Party of Canada: When we were elected, we engaged in conversations across the country with Canadians about our democracy. From these conversations came the conclusion, there was a wide range of opinions, but no clear consensus on an alternative voting system. In my conversations with the people of Fundy Royal the broad support for change was not there. The Liberal view has always been clear: Major reforms to the electoral system and changes of this magnitude, should only be made if they have the broad support of Canadians. We remain committed to improving this country's electoral system and moved forward with legislation to repeal undemocratic elements of the previous government's Fair Elections Act. Including, increasing transparency in political fundraising and protecting our democratic institutions from cyberattacks.
Rudolf Neumayer
To be clear, I would have been happy to answer any and all questions. But I never received any communications from connectingalbertcounty.org until this morning concerning a post. If you could provide those question, I will respond.
Rudy Neumayer People's Party Canadidate Fundy Royal
The People's Party is in a unique position to speak to this issue because of our newness to the political scene and the hurdles we had to cross. The PPC, however, does not have an official position at this point in time, although Maxime Bernier has spoken about our progression and obstacles. I will give you these points that fall within the principles of the PPC and how I stand on the topic.
"First past the post" as a system does not always provide for the most representative parliament in terms of voter support and elected MPs for any given party. But Canada needs to have a functional government and a government that protects Canada. Proposals made to change the system seemed to be unworkable in that they would practically guarantee minority governments until the system were to change again. Several democracies are using those types of systems and are in constant deadlocks and election cycles. That is not good for the country.
Unfortunately, power opens the door to abuse. Both the Liberals and Conservatives have been using their influence and their power with, for example, the new Debates Commission to stifle the People's Party from expressing our policies. So while the public is being told how democratic they are and how concerned they are to ensure a fully democratic process, those words do not translate into actions. Quite the contrary.
My position is, therefore, that some changes should be made to the electoral process to advance democratic principles. One would be to thank the Debates Commissioner for his time and close down the Debates Commission. The government and the official opposition have no right to regulate free speech or to stifle political discourse.