Evidence of meeting #30 for Electoral Reform in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was yukon.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
We'll “have” to go to Mr. Cullen? It's not the warmest introduction I've ever had, Chair.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Yes, unfortunately we'll go to Mr. Cullen now.
Mr. Brekke, I very much appreciated one of the last comments you made. I think it's not the first time you said you were attempting to give meaning to people's votes. It will be worth looking at, I think; that goes for both of our panellists today.
An Elections Manitoba study came out looking at their last provincial election and asking non-voters why they didn't vote. One of the leading reasons was that they didn't feel like their vote would make any difference. Asked if they had a proportional system in which votes were tallied in another way, where their votes did mean something, half of the non-voters polled said they would vote.
Yukon celebrates enormous voter turnout compared with the rest of the country. You should be celebrated for your love of democracy, both at the territorial and federal levels. I'm looking at ways to make each vote make a difference, and you've given us another innovative model, which I very much appreciate.
I wanted to turn to Mr. Streicker for a moment. In the sense of what the voter sees, this is important. We often take it from the perspective of how Parliament's going to look, what it means for the parties running, and how the votes are tallied, but what do the voters see as the result in governance? Better policy, more balanced opinion? What is it that you believe is at the heart of why we need to move to the proportionality and away from the current system that we have?
As an Individual
Here in the north we have incredible access to our politicians.
This is Larry.
Hi, Larry.
As an Individual
I'd bet you, if you asked these people behind us, most of them would know him as Larry.
As an Individual
I think that ability to be able to connect with your political representatives is one of the things that you would get with a more proportional system, because as Mr. Brekke notes, if you can see your vote having an effect, you will then identify with that person. The challenge will be if the person who's representing the vote that you cast is somewhere very far away. You won't have that feeling.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Right. I saw the leader of the official opposition, Liz Hanson, who joined us here today—you folks are on the edge of an election—and she is “Liz”.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Even saying her full name there felt a bit odd.
I'm just looking at your last election: 40% cast a vote for their current government, and they achieved just shy of 60% of the seats in Yukon.
In terms of policies, be they policies around climate change and pricing carbon, fracking, or indigenous affairs, is the notion that, at a national level, removing that distortion, where 39% or 40% gets you 58% of the seats and 100% of the power, will start to include real action on some of the issues? That's what I'm trying to drive at. We've seen governments run campaigns promising something, achieve that 39%, and then start running their government on a whole bunch of other different things because there's no natural tension anymore; it's just within the party, within the Prime Minister's Office.
As an Individual
Right. It moves out of Parliament and into the cabinet, PMO, or wherever it moves to, but it's not in Parliament.
I am a fan of respecting diversity of views. As Mr. Deltell noted, his views may not align with mine. That's okay, in my opinion. There is a competing argument about this. I think we are stronger when we respect our diversity—that means the diversity of our political views as well—but I recognize that it will mean more challenges to reach decisions. I just happen to think that those decisions are stronger when you go through that effort.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
But I wonder if that isn't actually, in and of itself, a Canadian value.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
If I think of Whitehorse, or if I think or Carcross, Atlin, and these small communities, if you simply said, “We're having it our way: you're from one political group in town, and no matter what else, this is the way it's going to be”, you wouldn't last long in those towns. So is the Canadian value not that level of compromise, even though some attempts—
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I have one quick question, Mr. Brekke. Here's the challenge we're going to have around complexity once we get into that math. You've spent time with it, so to you it seems very clear. How can we overcome the resistance people are going to have to the counting part of your system, when they say, “Boy, the math seems overwhelming; I don't understand how that person became an MP”? That attachment is very important to Canadians; they want to be able to see transparently how we're putting people forward to Parliament.
As an Individual
I invite you all to take a look at the white paper. It will give you an idea of what I'm trying to do.
I think what you are doing now is really helping to increase knowledge and understanding. One of my main concerns is expressed in a video on my website, entitled “Do you want your vote to count?” It's done superbly well, I think.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Thank you.
I gave you a little bit of extra time, Mr. Cullen, to make up for hurt feelings.
Mr. Kelly.
