The testimony about Bill C-2, the Canada Elections Act on Nov. 23, 1999 is now available via http://www.parl.gc.ca/36/1/parlbus/commbus/house/CommitteeMinute.asp?Language= E&CommitteeID=68 It is circa 198 KB. I estimate that about 95 percent of the testimony was useless (standard for such hearings). ---- I suggest that DEMOCRACY-P.R. folks get their acts together and give the following speech the next time, if ever, that proportional representation has any chance for discussion in a public legislative body hearing in Canada--- ------ The use of single member gerrymander ridings having unequal numbers of voters and plurality winners (aka first-past-the-post-- FPTP) in elections results in ANTI-DEMOCRATIC MINORITY RULE in [Canada or province name]. Some examples-- In the [year] election in [area], [AA] percent of the voters elected [BB-- bare majority] of [CC-- total members] of the [name of legislative body] and [DD] percent of the voters elected [BB] [EE-- Party Name] Party members. [Repeat for other elections] The remedy is an accurate proportional representation (p.r.) method in which a Party’s votes divided by the Party’s seats in the legislative body is the same or nearly the same as possible for all parties. The result would be indirect majority rule, namely DEMOCRACY. Some p.r. methods which produce DEMOCRACY to varying degrees of accuracy are single transferable vote (STV), mixed member proportional (MMP), proxy p.r, party list, additional member (AM), etc. See [my/our] submission regarding a p.r. bibliography, p.r. internet web sites, the details of such p.r. methods and where some of them are currently being used in the world. Any questions [directed to the anti-democratic gerrymander minority rule legislators] ??? --- I hate to beat a dead horse but p.r. folks in Canada appear not to know what to do to get DEMOCRACY in Canada. Namely, totally blast the various minority rule regimes at every opportunity (before it becomes too late and a real old style dictatorship comes to Canada- replacing the existing de facto prime minister dictatorships in Canada and in each province).
