Our Entitled MPs: “Rules for thee but not for me”

The Caribbean may have welcomed them with warm weather but public officials who vacationed abroad faced a cold reception returning home. Barbados, Hawaii, Mexico and St. Barts were just a few of the tropical locations MPs, MPPs, MLAs, and even a Senator, travelled to this winter, flouting Canadian health guidelines and earning the scorn of the entire country.

Of the 20 public officials caught with their swim trunks on, 15 represented the party in power, drawing accusations of “rules for thee but not for me.” In Alberta, all of the offenders were UCP MLAs. At the federal level, most were Liberal MPs. That officials representing the party in power feel they are above public health guidance is not at all surprising, considering party leaders such as Jason Kenney until recently defended the actions of his colleagues. This confirms what Canadians already know: in Canadian politics, there is widespread entitlement.

One example of this entitlement is UCP MLA Pat Rehn, who is refusing to resign despite calls from his constituency’s town council. It doesn’t take much to see this attitude is a direct result of our first past the post electoral system. Of the 18 elected officials embroiled in the controversy, 14 were in ridings that were safe for their party. When the system gives you a sure-fire shot at reelection — no matter what you say or do — why bother with questions as to what is immoral or hypocritical? This is the result of plurality voting: Districts where no one has a shot, except the people who take power for granted.

These politicians, rarely elected by a majority of their constituents and always by people making strategic decisions, are unsurprisingly out of touch with Canadians. That our leaders vacationed in Mexico and Barbados while thousands are dying and millions more suffer the economic consequences of this pandemic is as good an indictment of our political system as any. While the entitlement of Canadian politicians is systematic and widespread, this sorry state of affairs is far from unchangeable.

The solution lies in changing our outdated electoral system from first past the post to proportional representation. Only then will Canada be able to root out the culture of entitlement that plagues our politics and in its place create a political culture that delivers accountability to voters.


Holiday Card Campaign Recap

Our Holiday Card campaign was a roaring success, with over 9300 cards sent to Justin Trudeau calling for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform! There were so many cards this year, Santa had to rent a U-Haul just to get them to Canada Post!

We would like to thank everyone who mailed a card to the PM and those who shared photos of themselves using #MakeYourVoiceHeard on December 12th. The campaign truly was a cross-country affair with Toronto volunteers taking part in the action too!

 


fair vote toronto proportional representation electoral reform canada volunteer rendezvous

For the first 50 years of the confederation Canada only had two parties in the House of Commons, with the Liberals and Conservatives going back and forth over the available seats. It wasn’t until 1921 with the rise of the Progressive Party to official opposition that the two-party system was broken.

Since then, Canada has cycled through several third-parties including Canadian Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the Progressive Party, the United Farmers of Alberta, Social Credit, the Bloc populaire canadien and the Labour Progressive Party.

Ultimately, First Past the Post was not kind to these parties and it wasn’t until the 60’s that a scrappy third-party from Saskatchewan called the New Democratic Party was able to establish a foothold as a permanent fixture in the political landscape. They were later followed by the Bloc Québécois and most recently the Greens, while the popular Reform Party merged with the Conservatives to create the CPC we know today.