With Ontario, B.C. Alta. and Quebec to gain more seats to adjust for population disparity, I think they are going about this backwards. They should be eliminating seats from the other provinces. The spending increase is obscene.
Ottawa to lengthen trough to accommodate 30 more M.P.s
- Thread starter JLM
- Start date
It's all about politics. Seats from provinces who have a smaller share of the population cannot be reduced because it is believed that voters in those provinces would be offended. Since no plotician wants to offend a voter the only alternative is to increase the number of MPs. But don't worry we still have a way to go to match the British House of Commons with its 650 MPs.
At the rate we are going that is what we'll have by the time we reach their present population.
Congratulations JLM! How does it feel to be on the same side of this issue as Quebec nationalists & seperatists? 
I think this is something that needs to happen to try to rectify some of the inequities in our system. Representation by population has been an issue since before Confederation (even then Quebec was against it, as they feared what has happened: their relative population has shrunk as we have become an English-dominated nation, in an English-led world).
Lets be honest: its not that far fetched a belief when we look at the complaints by Quebec (and possibly Martime provinces but I don't remember seeing them), about wanting to maintain their level of representation to preserve their culture. They even had Brian Buloney talked into a constitutional guarantee of 25% representation in the H.O.C. at one point (which thankfully was killed).
I agree but it goes back to the point Bar Sinister made above: the MPs don't want to piss off the regions with declining relative populations (especially Quebec, but to a lesser extent the Maritimes as well).
I think this is something that needs to happen to try to rectify some of the inequities in our system. Representation by population has been an issue since before Confederation (even then Quebec was against it, as they feared what has happened: their relative population has shrunk as we have become an English-dominated nation, in an English-led world).
Lets be honest: its not that far fetched a belief when we look at the complaints by Quebec (and possibly Martime provinces but I don't remember seeing them), about wanting to maintain their level of representation to preserve their culture. They even had Brian Buloney talked into a constitutional guarantee of 25% representation in the H.O.C. at one point (which thankfully was killed).
I agree but it goes back to the point Bar Sinister made above: the MPs don't want to piss off the regions with declining relative populations (especially Quebec, but to a lesser extent the Maritimes as well).
Well, that is a solution that anyone with both brain cells working would come up with. :smile:
I was listening to power and politics this morning and it seems like all three parties agree that this is a good move. It seems like $18 million is a respectable cost for a democratic initiative.
I'm all for fiscal conservatism, but $18 mil is petty change to have a better democracy. Even Quebec is pretty satisfied with the distribution that Harper has penned out.
I would be more offended if I were the type that believes that all forms of government should be cut down in size, considerably. To that effect, the typical right-winger should have thought twice before electing Harper.
In Ontario, he's definitely fishing for votes from Greater Toronto. But as much as that gives them a political advantage, they kind of deserve it, considering the formula for this distribution is representative of those growing populations.
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I'm thinking that some folding chairs and a couple of old card tables set up in the back room ought to get the job done.
I question the better democracy, so I can't really condone the spending of an extra $18 million. I'm guessing $18 million would go a long way toward housing all the homeless in my province for a year. Let's give the destitute a boost, not already Fat Cats! :smile:
The 30 extra pigs in the trough isn't the problem. There is also the several hundred extra snivel servants that feed off them that we have to pay for. Not to mention the extra election costs every few years. From an economic point it would be far better to remove seats from some of the over represented provinces and simply redistribute them. Probably be political suicide but proper.
That idea would require Quebec agreeing to have less than the minimum # of (physical) seats that they are promised.
A pretty unlikely scenario
Quebec thinks they should be over represented? Perhaps Quebec would be a little more popular if they weren't so greedy! :smile:
You guys are such economic w hores.
If you put things into perspective, $18 million is peanuts! And it's good to have politicians that proportionally represent the public, even if we do hate their guts.
If you put things into perspective, $18 million is peanuts! And it's good to have politicians that proportionally represent the public, even if we do hate their guts.