I was inspired to make these videos in the hope that showing the benefits of electoral reform with proportional representation would inspire you to support it. I used Golden Girl's Sophia's famous catchphrase "Picture It" to help communicate a vision of Canada with proportional representation. Each video is based on evidence.
Please help
promote the benefits of proportional representation by sharing one, some, or
all videos in this series of seven videos:
#1 Higher Voter Turnout
3-Jul-2021
#2
Diverse Representatives 10-Jul-2021
#3 Healthier Citizens
17-Jul-2021
#4
Social Trust 24-Jul-2021
#5
Strong Economy 31-Jul-2021
#6 Environmental Stewardship
7-Aug-2021
#7
Stability and Harmony 14-Aug-2021
#1 Higher Voter Turnout
I shared a
preview of Picture It: Canada with Proportional Representation #1 High Voter
Turnout with long time proportional representation (PR) supporter Lynn
Oliphant. My heart was moved when he confessed he was saddened at the end
because for a brief moment he had suspended disbelief. He had a vision of what
Canada could have been with 100 years of proportional representation.
#2 Diversity
"Our
voting system is crazy" said my young new neighbour recently as we talked
politics. They support universal basic income (UBI) but have no hope of it
becoming a reality. I do have hope that the candidate diversity evident in
other countries using proportional representation will prove true in Canada.
The perspectives and priorities of women and minority groups, including
Indigenous people, would bring balance and fairness into the decision-making
process about things like UBI. Diversity in representatives has proven to produce
legitimate long-term laws and policies that represent and meet the needs of the
full diversity of voters.
#3 Healthier Citizens
I received a phone call from a senior on a
fixed income. They expected they would need to use the money diligently saved
to celebrate their birthday for an unexpected prescription drug cost. I was
heartsick.
Nine out of ten
Canadians support the idea of pharmacare. Translated to our House of Commons,
the recent pharmacare bill to establish a legal framework should have had 90%
support. Was it defeated because our Members of Parliament are so whipped they
do not represent their voters? Does our winner-take-all electoral system give
Big Pharma a big whip to crack? Why does Canada remain the only country with
universal healthcare and no universal pharmacare? Why can't we democratically
allocate resources to ensure healthier citizens? What other health benefits
enjoyed by countries with proportional representation might we gain with
electoral reform?
#4 Social Trust
In Bowling Alone, author Robert Putnam writes "Trustworthiness
lubricates social life. Frequent
interaction among a diverse set of people tends to produce a norm of
generalized reciprocity." Putnam uses the term "social capital"
to describe the wealth available to communities and countries with strong
networks of relationships. Equality, a characteristic evident in countries with
proportional representation, supports "interaction among a diverse set of
people." Equality increases the sense of "us" and decreases the
sense of "them" enhancing social trust.
#5 Stronger Economy
What is the latest example of policy lurch you can think of?
For me, it is crime legislation. The 2012 Omnibus Crime Bill was
"Tough-on-Crime." Even though the Canadian Bar Association and other
experts tried their "darndest to get the Conservatives to listen to
reason," the bill passed because the Conservatives held the majority of
seats. Now the Conservatives are concerned that the Liberals will pass a
"Soft-on-Crime" bill and are doing their darndest to get the Liberals
to listen to reason. While crime legislation may appear unconnected to
economics, the justice system—policing, courts, and incarceration, is a player
in our economic system.
In countries with proportional representation, the
proportion of power each party gets is relatively consistent. Their politics
lean towards collaboration rather than competition. Progress can be made on
issues like labour relations, corporate regulation, poverty reduction, and tax
reform. Progress that is inclusive, informed, and long term. Progress that is
good for business, labour, and the environment. Other countries using
proportional representation enjoy stronger economic growth than countries using
plurality-majority electoral systems like Canada's.
#6 Environmental Stewardship
Evidence shows
that countries with proportional representation have stronger environmental
policies. They score high for protecting the environment and other indicators
of environmental stewardship. This is not because their citizens are more
concerned about the environment but because citizens' voices influence policy. Planetary
care for all is prioritized over corporate profit for the few.
Using Golden
Girl's Sophia's famous catchphrase "Picture It", _#6 Environmental
Stewardship_ imagines Canadians enjoying a host of benefits linked to strong
environmental policy. It shows Canada experiencing a fair and just transition
to renewable energy and securing environmental stewardship through social
justice.
#7 Stability and Harmony
"We can
bomb the world to pieces, but we cannot bomb it to peace", lines from a
Michael Franti song, has long been one of my favourite memes. While I
envisioned many things for Canada in the previous videos this one is the
biggest. What would happen if our government had to prove it had exhausted
all non-violent alternatives to war?
While parts of
my video are visionary, other parts are the reality in many countries with
proportional representation. When the proportion of power between parties is
stable, parties collaborate with each other to produce thoughtful, long-term
legislation. Proportional representation's stability would allow our decision
makers to focus on social justice, safety nets, and environmental stewardship.
