My fellow Ontarians
I know I'm not using this journal these days, but I wanted to talk about something important today, because it needs to be passed along. People need to start talking about this, because right now no one knows about it.

I'm talking about the upcoming Ontario Referendum.

Non Ontarians can ignore this.

My fellows Ontarians, however --I urge you to talk about this. Whatever your views or position. No one seems to know what this referendum is about and it is IMPORTANT. It could change the face of Ontario politics.

On October 10th, in addition to casting your vote, you will be asked to vote on a single question. The question is as follows:

Which electoral system should Ontario use to elect members to the provincial legislature?

You will be given 2 options:

Option A: The existing electoral system (First-Past-the-Post)

or

Option B: The alternative electoral system proposed by the Citizens' Assembly (Mixed Member Proportional)

Sadly, few people know about the alternate system proposed. And Elections Ontario is doing relatively little to inform the public about this system. Why? It hurts Ontario's two main political parties (the Conservatives and the Liberals).



Option A: The existing electoral system (First-Past-the-Post)

This is our current system. Now, when you vote in Ontario, you go into a polling station and vote for the person who represents your riding. One ballot. One vote. The person who gets the most votes wins the seat for their party. The party with the most seats forms a government.

This system has its advantages. It allows for regional representation, is fairly simply, and provides a clear path to winning an election. It also allows the public to choose who will represent them, rather than putting this power into the hands of the winning party.

This system also has its disadvantages. It ignores the votes/will of a significant portion of the population. In essence, unless you vote for the winning guy, your vote is useless. Smaller parties (such as the Green Party, and the NDP) are underrepresented in Parliament (compared to percentage of vote) because they cannot earn enough votes to win a riding. In short, it's an extremely unfair system.

Now, let's look at the alternative.

Option B: The alternative electoral system proposed by the Citizens' Assembly (Mixed Member Proportional)

If accepted, future Ontario voters will have 2 votes. You vote first for the person running in your riding. Then, you cast a second ballot for the party of your choosing. At the riding level, the person with the most votes wins (just like Option A). At the Parliament level, seats have been set aside for proportional representation.

This means that a selection of seats are handed out to the parties based on their percentage of vote. NOTE: A party *must* have 3% of the vote to be considered for proportional representation. This means fringe parties are NOT going to win seats. What it does mean is that smaller parties (the Green Party, the NDP) are going to win more/some seats.

This system is very popular in Europe and has numerous advantages, the primary advantage being that you, the voter, actually get to decide which parties are represented in Parliament. It also ensures the diversification of Parliament, meaning that more interests will be represented.

There are, of course, disadvantages. Of the "list members" --ie those that will win seats based on proportional representation-- the public has no say in who is chosen. You vote for a party, not an individual. The mixed system lessens the possible consequences of this (i.e. using a full proportional representation system might result in an 'all boys' club) but for a portion of the seats, this problem still exists. There is also the possibility that the formation of a majority government may be made difficult (although this is not necessarily a bad thing). Years might pass before the Ontario government became efficient at operating in this new system.



As you can see, then, there are good and bad points for both systems. I myself will be voting in favour of a mixed member proportional system. I am tired of this province (and country) being run by the Conservatives/Liberals. I think it's time for some new blood. Some new ideas.

You, of course, can decide for yourself, but please, be informed. Know what they're asking you. Know the consequences of your answer.

Once you are informed, spread the word. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell your co-workers. Tell a stranger on the street. Tell everyone you can, because the government's not going to do it, and they're not going to let the media do it. They do not want this change. The people, however, do.

More information can be found here.