Roundup: Trading one set of problems for another

Posted on by

Day three of the electoral reform committee, and it seems to be the first time that we actually got a bit of pushback from a witness list that is stuffed full of proponents for reform that refuse to either properly examine our system as it currently exists, or who dwell on fantasy versions of electoral systems. (Kady O’Malley’s liveblog here). In particular, one of the experts, Andre Blais, showcased his research to show that different voting systems had little impact overall on things like voter turnout or satisfaction with the system, which is not surprising at all. So many of the arguments that reform proponents will put forward about how changing the system will fix these woes without realising that every system has their own set of problems and you just wind up trading one set of problems for another (but given that they tend to focus only on delusional, unicorn-filled happiest possible outcomes, this is not a surprise). Likewise, Blais’ research didn’t indicate that there was any greater spirit of compromise in other systems that relied on coalitions, because it’s not like other systems are all around a circle singing Kumbaya.

There were a few other gems, like this one:

The NEP has become this cultural myth in Canada where everyone assumes that something or another would have prevented it. For the longest time, it was the assumption that a Triple E Senate would have been powerful enough to stop it, and now the argument is PR. These theories ignore the basic math of the sheer weight of the proportion of the country that was in favour of the Programme versus the weight of Alberta, no matter whether they had more votes in the Commons or the Senate. But by all means, mythologise away.

This one is more self-explanatory – in some PR countries like Germany, you can’t vote out governments. Central parties stay in power for decades and simply shuffle around coalition partners, and that makes accountability a very difficult thing under those systems, which is another reason that I don’t think they’ll actually solve anything because the ability to remove a government or a party is as important as how you vote them in – if not more so. Accountability matters.

Meanwhile, the Elections Commissioner is recommending a number of changes to election laws to bring them up to date with our social media age, and part of the piece is devoted to that jackass in Nova Scotia who got charged for posting a photo of his marked ballot as though the secret ballot doesn’t exist for a reason. It’s the same reason why online voting will never be able to guarantee that one’s ballot is actually secret, and we might as well surrender ourselves to the return of rumbottle politics if we start making it acceptable to post photos of marked ballots.

Good reads:

  • Hunter Tootoo is returning to work, but the Liberals may not want him back in caucus, (he says there was no incident). His constituents do seem pretty forgiving.
  • The PMO had two meetings with the PBO about strengthening his office’s mandate, but the NDP are screaming that those meetings were “inappropriate.”
  • Judy Foote went to Miramachi to inspect the Phoenix pay centre personally and assess the slow-moving train wreck that it is.
  • There was smoke inside a Shared Services Canada data centre that crippled a number of departments – including the Phoenix pay system.
  • The government may be looking at leasing ships for the Coast Guard to address capability gaps.
  • The Inuit have worked with the government to create a culturally appropriate suicide prevention programme.
  • Mike Moffatt looks at raising the duty-free limit for online buyers, and how that can be done without adversely affecting traditional retailers.
  • Paul Wells finds that the PM is spending the summer talking to entrepreneurs about how to get talent and innovation to stay in the country.
  • Brent Rathgeber wonders if Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton would have survived a leadership process in our system in Canada.

Odds and ends:

Will and Kate will be visiting BC and the Yukon this fall for a royal tour.