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The Citizen, 2007-10-04, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2007. PAGE 7. THE EDITOR, Last Thursday, Sept. 27, the Huron County Federation of Agriculture hosted a provincial all-candidates meeting in Holmesville. While the event was well attended and generally very informative, I regret that I must write this letter in an effort to clear up some misinformation that was distributed from the platform by one of the provincial candidates. In response to a question regarding the referendum on mixed member proportional (MMP) representation, one of the candidates suggested that he had a letter from me, professing support for the proposed new system of electing provincial MPPs. That is simply and utterly untrue and I would like members of the public to understand that such statements do not reflect my personal opinion on the matter. To be perfectly clear, it is my intention to vote against the proposal for a new system of proportional representation because I believe that MMP will have a substantial and negative impact on rural Canada. In countless other jurisdictions around the world, jurisdictions that have enacted a proportional system, political instability has often followed. Moreover, given that MMP is a system that would give political power based upon population, it would logically follow that the larger the population, the greater the influence. In Canada, that means that, under the proposed MMP system of government, rural Canada would be last in line for help from governments; something that I would oppose vigorously. Our current system is not perfect but, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. MMP is an idea that has been discussed for years – and rejected for years. While I had not intended to take a public stand on the matter, given that it is before the people in a referendum, I cannot permit false and misleading information to be circulated in my name. Again, it is my intention to vote against the proposed MMP system of electing our provincial representatives and any statements to the contrary are false. Sincerely, Paul Steckle, MP Huron-Bruce. THE EDITOR,Oct. 10 is election day inOntario. The people of the province will be voting for their member of provincial parliament who will represent them at Queen’s Park in Toronto. In addition, they will be asked through a second ballot to choose a new electoral system or stay with the present system known as “First-Past-the-Post system” which simply means the candidate who receives the most votes in a riding wins. This second or referendum vote was set in motion when the government established a citizens’ assembly on electoral reform, the creation of which has been explained the past four weeks in this newspaper. The content of the citizens’ assembly report recommended that Ontario’s electoral system be changedto a Mixed MemberProportional (MMP) system because according to the report, “it will provide greater voter choice, fairer election results and stronger representation.” The contents of the report, along with an ample supply of conjecture which may or may not happen, have been reported in glowing terms. Like many government initiated commissions, the report overpromises to deliver in theory, what it cannot or doesn’t deliver in practise. Let’s examine the downside. The system as proposed is undemocratic. The number of provincial constituencies would be reduced from 107 to 90. Each of the 90 would send an elected member to Toronto. The size of the Legislature, however, wouldbe increased to 129 by thecreation of 39 “list members” which would be appointed by the party leaders. The fact that almost one- third of the Legislature would be appointed means that voters are giving up one-third of their voting rights to political party leaders who would pick people loyal to the leader, the party and its policies. Does anyone really believe that the party bosses will scour the province for exceptional talent? These appointed MPPs could be assigned to ridings, but that would mean 39 ridings would have two members, one elected, one appointed while the other 90 would have only one member. The MMP proposed system would ensure minority government forever. Thatleads to political instability,dysfunctional governance and frequent elections, not to mention the cost to the taxpayers. Fringe parties with a few seats could hold the balance of power. The governing party would have to form coalitions with the smaller parties and these always seem to break down as we have experienced. The MMP proposal would mean more parties with legislative seats. Nine countries in the world have an MMP system similar to this. All have a number of fringe parties representing various interest groups. Any parliament that has an narrow interest focus is not in the general public interest. Brian Tanguay, a political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, recently stated publicly that thenumber of parties in theLegislature would “about double to seven or eight.” New Zealand which has MMP has eight parties and has had up to 16 from time to time. The prime minister of New Zealand recently complained in a published report that the system is making it difficult for tough decisions to be made. Recently 800,000 Italians signed a petition demanding a referendum to move Italy away from proportional representation (MMP) toward First-Past-the-Post electoral system that we presently have. Contrary to recent comments the MMP system is not working well in New Zealand and Germany. A Swiss newspaper recently reported that German political analysts are saying that anynew reforms will be difficultto achieve because the coalition partners are all jostling for position ahead of state elections next year. The MMP system would reduce rural representation. It is possible that Huron-Bruce would extend from Grand Bend to Wiarton or even Tobermory. It is impossible for one member to adequately represent such a large, diverse area. It would mean less voter accessibility to their member and to government. Not good news for farmers and rural residents. There is room for electoral reform but not through this particular model. Put stability before change. I’m putting my “X” for “The existing electoral system (First-Past-the Post).” Murray Gaunt. Letter to the editorWriter speaks out against MMP proposal THE EDITOR, On Oct. 10, Ontarians will have the opportunity to improve the level of democracy in Ontario by voting in Ontario’s first-ever referendum on electoral reform. By voting in favour of mixed member proportional (MMP), voters will enhance the democratic process in Ontario. The results of the last federal election provide insight as to how MMP would improve democracy. In the last federal election the Conservative Party of Canada polled 36.3 per cent of the popular vote and formed the government. On the other hand, the Green Party of Canada polled 4.5 per cent of the popular vote and didn’t get a single seat in Ottawa. It simply isn’t fair or democratic, that the 4.5 per cent who voted for the Green Party were completely excluded from the House of Parliament in the “first past the post”, “winner takes all” system in place during that election. Had MMP been adopted at the federal level, several members of the Green Party, representing the 4.5 per cent of Canadians who voted for their policies would now be sitting on Parliament Hill. So, on Oct. 10, follow the advice of the independent, non-partisan citizens’ assembly on electoral reform and vote in favour of MMP. Remember, more democracy is good for your health. Sincerely, Jim Hollingworth, MD. THE EDITOR, Now that autumn is officially here, we would like to say thank you to everyone who helped Blyth put its best foot forward this summer. Our village looked wonderful. More specifically, our village looked like a place that is cared for. Over 60 years ago, we adopted Blyth as our home, and while there have been (and always will be) challenges, there are opportunities for those willing to see a cup that is half full. We have observed that there are always two groups of people, and fortunately, that one of these groups is always larger than the other. The smaller group is the one which is determined to see a cup that is half empty. They are the first to find fault, first to complain, first to leave town to shop and the last to volunteer to help with anything. The other is the group which accepts challenges, plans and works to make a difference, and quietly recognizes that much of the potential success of the community is in the hands of those of us who choose to live here. Thank you to those who make a difference. We are proud to call Blyth home. Grant and Mildred Sparling. Letter to the editor False statement gets response from Steckle POWER WORKERS’ UNION A voice of reason Ontario’s current energy plan is full of gas. !!!!!Tpnfuijoh!epftoÖu!tnfmm!sjhiu/! Poubsjp!jt!tivuujoh!epxo!jut!dpbm! qmbout!boe!gbtu.usbdljoh!obuvsbm!hbt! hfofsbujpo!Ñ!b!qmbo!uibu!xjmm!tfoe!! fofshz!cjmmt!tlzspdlfujoh/!!! !!!!!Uifz!tbz!obuvsbm!hbt-!joufsnjuufou! sfofxbcmft!mjlf!xjoe!qpxfs-!boe! voqsfejdubcmf!dpotfswbujpo!xjmm!nffu!! pvs!fofshz!offet!uispvhi!3125/!! Cvu!xjui!ovdmfbs!tvqqmz!boe!ofx! usbotnjttjpo!mjoft!ivoh!vq!xjui! mfohuiz!bqqspwbmt-!juÖt!uif!sjtljftu! hbncju/!Xf!dbo!ibwf!bggpsebcmf! fmfdusjdjuz!qsjdft-!sfmjbcmf!tfswjdf-! fowjsponfoubm!tbgfhvbset!boe! bcvoebou!tvqqmz!jg!xf;!2*!gjojti! sfuspßuujoh!pvs!dpbm!tubujpot!xjui! qspwfo-!sfbejmz!bwbjmbcmf!dmfbo.dpbm! ufdiopmphz<!3*!dp.ßsf!cjpnbtt!mjlf!! !!uifz!ep!jo!Fvspqf<!4*!fyqfejuf!! !!ovdmfbs!tvqqmz/!Gps!uif!gvmm!tupsz!! !!!wjtju!xxx/bcfuufsfofshzqmbo/db!! Letter to the editor Local physician will vote in favour of reform Letter Singing Blyth’s praises To find out more about offering high school students work experience contact the Foundation for Enriching Education Perth Huron at 519-527-0111 ext 231 or visit www.foundationforeducation.on.ca Training students today creates a pool of skilled workers for tomorrow Sponsored by the Ontario Learning Partnership Group and the Provincial Partnership Council Supported by The Ontario Ministry of Education and The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities