Justin Trudeau adviser backs mandatory voting

Praxius

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Justin Trudeau adviser backs mandatory voting, preferential ballots - Politics - CBC News

Canada should adopt mandatory voting and a preferential ballot to re-engage citizens in the political system and reinforce democracy, says a new paper by an adviser to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

The analysis, by academic Robert Asselin for the think-tank Canada 2020, comes as Conservative backbencher Michael Chong pushes a bill aimed at rebalancing power between the Prime Minister's Office and the House of Commons.

Asselin, of the University of Ottawa's graduate school of public and international affairs, points to the recent Ontario election as more evidence of the gulf between Canadians and the political system.

In that case, approximately 52.1 per cent of eligible voters turned out to cast a ballot.

Asselin proposes the type of mandatory voting that Australia has instituted, as well as a preferential ballot where the second and third choices of voters are applied until one candidate achieves more than 50 per cent of the vote.

"I'm pushing mandatory voting and preferential ballots so that citizens don't see democratic reform just as reforming institutions, but they see it as something that belongs to us and if we don't take care of it like anything else in our lives ... it will just fall apart," Asselin said in an interview.

Trudeau is also a supporter of a preferential ballot, having made it a plank of his leadership platform.


(Continued on Link)

Well there's another reason not to vote for the Liberals.

They're screwing themselves once again..... the last time they screwed up was with the Carbon Tax idea with Dion.

Now this?

Yes, let's force people to vote for someone even when there isn't an option on the ballot that suits their own interests.... that's Democracy for you.

It doesn't work here in Australia.... people only have to head to the poll station and get their name marked off as showing up. After that, they don't have to vote for anybody or can screw up the ballot by putting a ***** on it, etc.

In the books, it looks like you have a huge voter turnout, but you don't, you just have a huge amount of people show up to mark off their names so they don't get fined.

Forcing people to vote doesn't make the people more engaged in politics and elections.

You don't force people to vote for you or anybody else by threatening them with fines, you engage people and make them want to vote for you and actually want to go to the polls.

It doesn't solve the root problem and that problem is with politicians and political parties not doing their jobs and properly listening to the people they represent.

Here in Australia, due to forced voting, political parties don't actually have to do much work. They give out their cookie cutter responses, say and promise whatever they want, people are forced to the polls to vote anyways, they get their election, take power and then do whatever the hell they want.

Tony Abbott is a perfect example of this. He gave out a pile of promises and then turned around and broke pretty much every single one of them without any real regard for those that voted for him in the first place.

Does he and his party care?

Nope.... all that will happen is his party will either remain in power or become opposition once again as preferential voting will protect the main two parties like it has so far.

And that's why the Liberals want that too.... so they can ensure they don't end up in third place again and the Liberals and Conservatives will tiddily wink back and forth as opposition and main parties like they always have.

At this point, if this is the Liberals agenda to get back up in the polls, I'd recommend every single Canadian get to the polls on their own accord and vote for anybody other than the Liberals so Forced Voting doesn't happen in Canada.

Hell, vote Conservative, I don't care, but the Liberals need to be sent yet another message that this is something Canada and Canadians don't want..... the Liberals need to start "LISTENING" to the people, not deciding for them and forcing them to do stuff.

That's not Democracy, and when you need to force people to vote by seeking legal action against them, then you have no Democracy and you truly don't believe in the system.

Low voter turnout exists, we all know that, but rather than trying to mask the problem by putting the onus on the people, how about these idiots try and figure out what the real problem is (Themselves) and put some god damn effort into their job so they attract more voters?
 

Cliffy

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An adviser... Hmmm... someone jumping the gun on this? Has the Liberal Party sanctioned this? Does Justin approve? Cons are up to their usual tricks again, I see.
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
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An adviser... Hmmm... someone jumping the gun on this? Has the Liberal Party sanctioned this? Does Justin approve? Cons are up to their usual tricks again, I see.

Trudeau is also a supporter of a preferential ballot, having made it a plank of his leadership platform.

He might be for few hours.
 

Locutus

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Jun 18, 2007
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What do you call the release of a paper by one of Justin Trudeau's advisors? If you're Jennifer Ditchburn of Canadian Press, you call it a news story.


What I want to know is what Trudeau's advisor's aunt's cousin had for breakfast last Friday.


Reader Tips - Small Dead Animals
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
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Libs begin to look more appealing every day.

Now they need to promise a proportional democracy and we can have a functional nation again.
 

Praxius

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An adviser... Hmmm... someone jumping the gun on this? Has the Liberal Party sanctioned this? Does Justin approve? Cons are up to their usual tricks again, I see.

I'm not a Con supporter.

Justin approves preferential voting and is noted in the report.... both preferential voting and mandatory voting will go hand in hand.

If Justin didn't approve or back this, he would have said something by now and maybe have told his "Adviser" to STFU.

I guess we'll see what his response will be in the next 24 hours. If he was smart, he would distance himself over his "Advisers View"

If he says nothing and lets this slide, then silence speaks volumes.

This kind of Change in the Canadian Democratic System isn't mere peas and corn, it's a serious change that would affect everybody and it demands a clear stance and explanation.

"If" the Liberals decide to use this idea as one of their main platforms in the next election, those who already don't vote for whatever reason will no doubt make an effort this time to cast a ballot in any other party's favor other than the Liberals.

Hell, maybe even the Greens & Bloc will bump the Liberals to 4th or 5th place. :lol:

Those who choose not to vote will certainly not like the idea of the Liberals winning and thus, leading to them being forced to vote for there on in.

In a country where Majority Governments are usually decided by 1 in 5 Canadians, it would be interesting to see the minority of Canadians dictating such an action for the rest of Canadians to adhere to and not expect them to respond.

And what would I do?

I no longer have a fixed address in Canada and even when I wanted to vote, I had no valid riding to vote in and have been excluded from the last federal and provincial elections because of this.

With mandatory voting, this doesn't change my situation with the exception that as a Canadian Citizen, I can be fined for not voting.

Smooth.

I would have voted in the last elections that came through if I could, just as I did for the last few before I left. I didn't bother with voting until I was in my mid-20's when I finally found a party that suited my interests and ideals.

Either allow me to vote again in either the riding I used to live in for the last 10+ years before leaving Canada, or allow me to vote in the riding I was born and raised in before that (Peter McKay's Riding) or I should be exempt from any possible fines from a mandatory voting system.

You can't have it both ways.
 
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#juan

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If you're not going to vote, why have an election? If you don't vote, you can't complain.
 

darkbeaver

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If you're not going to vote, why have an election? If you don't vote, you can't complain.

Goodday Juan, I disagree with your statement, in two ways, first the action of not voting in a bogus election rigged to ensure the same international clique remains at the trough sends a strong message of critical thinking engaged, secondly, as to why the vote should still take place, the untouched ballots would send a message that voting like a slave certainly would not. If you review the available cabdidates offering thier service to the Cnadian public you will quickly come to the conclusion that there is in reality no difference between any of them except the superficial kind. A boycoted election sends an everso much more powerful message to the lids and ties.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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It actually makes sense in the short term. If people are forced to the polls by the Harper government, most of the ones forced will resent the Harper government. Which is good for Trudeau.
 

#juan

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Goodday Juan, I disagree with your statement, in two ways, first the action of not voting in a bogus election rigged to ensure the same international clique remains at the trough sends a strong message of critical thinking engaged, secondly, as to why the vote should still take place, the untouched ballots would send a message that voting like a slave certainly would not. If you review the available cabdidates offering thier service to the Cnadian public you will quickly come to the conclusion that there is in reality no difference between any of them except the superficial kind. A boycoted election sends an everso much more powerful message to the lids and ties.
People have fought and died for the right to vote. If you don't like the people in power, get out and vote for the people you do want in power.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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People have fought and died for the right to vote.
Who? I thought y'all peacefully negotiated your right to vote.

If you don't like the people in power, get out and vote for the people you do want in power.
What if you don't want to vote? Or did all those fine fighters and dyers fight and die for government to force people to vote?

People "fought and died" for the right to free speech, too. Should we make speaking mandatory?
 

darkbeaver

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People have fought and died for the right to vote. If you don't like the people in power, get out and vote for the people you do want in power.

Who were these people? The vote will not put me in power. I will use the time honoured methods including tanks, aircraft and bribery thankyou. It is understood that liberal applications of lies and blackmail will also be employed. You clearly don't understand how western democracies don't work.
 

#juan

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Who? I thought y'all peacefully negotiated your right to vote.


What if you don't want to vote? Or did all those fine fighters and dyers fight and die for government to force people to vote?

People "fought and died" for the right to free speech, too. Should we make speaking mandatory?

There is always the "none of the above" option if that is your choice. At least you will have voted.
 

darkbeaver

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I refuse to vote in a rigged election. Fer christ sake Juan it's clearly a dynastic thing in Canada these days. Next we will have the grandchildren of former national managers being rubber stamped by regressive ignorant barely literate electorate.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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I refuse to vote in a rigged election. Fer christ sake Juan it's clearly a dynastic thing in Canada these days. Next we will have the grandchildren of former national managers being rubber stamped by regressive ignorant barely literate electorate.
Ve vill force you to exercise your freedom if ve must!
 

#juan

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Aug 30, 2005
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So, spoiling your ballot when forced to the polls shows proper respect and homage for those who allegedly died for your right to vote?
Many thousands of people died in a couple world wars for our right to vote...among other things.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Many thousands of people died in a couple world wars for our right to vote...among other things.
I thought they were fighting to stomp the sh*t out of Germany and Japan.

Can you fill me in on where either country threatened the right of Canadians to vote?