PR for PR - When elections fail to deliver fair results

That there are no arguments against the case for PR is obvious, especially in the US: Consider three current failures of the winner-take-all system of representation: * Members of racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented; * Voters' choices are restricted to candidates within the two-party, Republican/Democratic monopoly; * Most legislative elections are effectively "no-choice" contests in districts dominated by a single party. (Source: http://www.bostonreview.net/BR23.1/richi... ) More FAQs on PR can be found at http://ed.labonte.com/pr.html

A good link collection is available at http://www.fairvote.org/links.htm

as well as at http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/polit/damy...

Now, after the Ontario elections, more than ever Canadians need to rally around PR: if they at all wish to have any noteworthy influence on the course of politics.

Plenty of Canada related information on PR is available at http://www.fairvotecanada.org/fvc/Public...

If you would like to read a bit broader on the issue of democracy in jeopardy, please do pick up my e-book "Barely holding on - Democracy in trouble ?" available at: http://www.ebookad.com/eb.php3?ebookid=1...

Practically speaking, the next Federal election in Canada is again a "done deal". The governing Liberals will seep back to power, as the weak right (luckily) remains fragmented and (unfortunately) the left can only muster few seats, as they will only edge past the post in a few stronghold ridings. More of the same to come it seems, but there is no reason to resign oneself to an endless repetition of this serious democracy deficit. In the coming four years, the case to pass legislation on PR can be made; with some luck (and honesty and fairness amongst those who benefit from its absence) PR could be introduced by the time Canadians go to the federal polls again in 2008. If not, further disillusionment and increasing cynism will truly become the Canadian way.

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