NovemsBer
      1,
      2005
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      ¢
      17
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MLAs
      Should
      Respect
      Voters’
      Views
      In
      Plebiscite,
     
     
      Says
      Leader
      Of
      Yes
      Campaign
     
    
   
   
    
     
      David
      MacDonald
     
     
      Holland
      College
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      coordinator
      leading
      the
     
     
      campaign
      in
      support
      of
      proportional
     
     
      representation
      says
      the
      upcoming
     
     
      plebiscite
      is
      too
      important
      for
     
     
      government
      not
      to
      have
      the
      money
      to
     
     
      run
      the
      vote
      properly.
     
    

    
     
      Mark
      Greenan
      of
      the
      P.E.I.
     
     
      Votes
      Yes
      coalition
      kicked
      off
      the
     
     
      group’s
      campaign
      Oct.
      25
      with
      a
      news
     
     
      conference
      at
      the
      Coles
      Building.
      He
     
     
      was
      accompanied
      by
      Kirstin
      Lund,
     
     
      chair
      of
      the
      P.E.I.
      Advisory
      Council
      on
     
     
      the
      Status
      of
      Women,
      and
      Carl
      Pursey,
     
     
      of
      the
      P.E.I.
      Federation
      of
      Labour.
     
    

    
     
      The
      government
      recently
      said
     
     
      for
      the
      plebiscite
      it
      would
      cut
      the
     
     
      number
      of
      polling
      stations
      to
      two
      or
     
     
      three
      per
      district
      in
      order
      to
      save
      money,
     
     
      an
      action
      Greenan
      doesn’t
      agree
      with.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      understand
      the
      financial
     
     
      constraints
      government
      is
      under
      but
      I
     
     
      think
      this
      is
      important
      and
      is
      something
     
     
      they
      should
      find
      the
      money
      for.”
     
    

    
     
      _Greenan
      said
      he
      wants
      to
      have
     
     
      a
      meeting
      with
      the
      premier
      to
      discuss
     
     
      this
      cut.
      He
      said
      the
      groups
      which
      will
     
     
      benefit
      the
      most
      from
      the
      mixed-
     
     
      member
      proportional
      system
      -
      youth,
     
     
      seniors,
      women,
      etc
      -
      will
      be
      the
      ones
     
     
      most
      hurt
      by
      the
      reduction
      in
      polling
     
     
      stations.
     
    

    
     
      The
      government
      has
      spent
      a
      lot
     
     
      of
      money
      over
      the
      past
      few
      years
      on
     
     
      this
      issue,
      he
      said.
     
    

    
     
      “Tt
      doesn’t
      seem
      to
      make
      any
     
     
      sense
      not
      to
      do
      this
      right.”
     
    

    
     
      In
      giving
      out
      his
      reasons
      for
     
     
      supporting
      a
      new
      electoral
      system,
     
     
      Greenan
      said
      the
      first-past-the-post
     
     
      system
      was
      created
      in
      the
      13th
      century
     
     
      exclusively
      for
      property-owning
      males.
     
     
      It
      awards
      a
      seat
      to
      whoever
      gets
      the
     
     
      most
      votes,
      even
      if
      it’s
      not
      the
      majority.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Islanders
      didn’t
      choose
      to
      use
     
     
      first-past-the-post.
      It
      was
      given
      to
      us.”
     
     
      Legislatures
      have
      been
      lopsided
      over
     
     
      the
      past
      number
      of
      elections
      under
      the
     
     
      first-past-the-post
      system,
      he
      said,
      with
     
     
      an
      8-1
      ratio
      of
      government
      seats
      to
     
     
      opposition
      party
      seats.
     
    

    
     
      “Tts
      failings
      have
      been
      all
      too
     
     
      apparent,”
      he
      said.
     
    

    
     
      The
      current
      system
      promotes
     
     
      confrontational
      politics
      as
      two
      dominant
     
     
      parties
      fight
      for
      majority
      control
      of
      the
     
     
      house,
      he
      said.
      The
      proportional
      system
     
     
      will
      benefit
      people
      in
      a
      number
      of
      ways,
     
     
      such
      as
      higher
      voter
      turnout
      and
      higher
     
     
      satisfaction
      with
      government.
     
    

    
     
      Pursey
      agrees
      the
      new
      system
     
     
      is
      more
      effective.
      He
      said
      the
      labour
     
     
      federation
      supports
      proportional
     
     
      representation,
      having
      passed
      a
     
     
      resolution
      in
      their
      annual
      convention
      in
     
     
      2000.
     
    

    
     
      Smaller
      parties
      would
      benefit
     
     
      greatly
      from
      this
      system,
      he
      said.
     
    

    
     
      “Smaller
      parties
      have
      a
      better
     
     
      chance
      of
      electing
      MLAs,
      bringing
      new
     
     
      ideas
      and
      perspectives
      to
      the
     
     
      legislature.”
     
    

    
     
      A
      party
      with
      at
      least
      five
      per
     
     
      cent
      of
      the
      vote
      will
      be
      able
      to
      get
      one
     
     
      seat
      in
      the
      legislature.
     
    

    
     
      More
      women
      could
      be
      elected,
     
     
      as
      parties
      would
      be
      encouraged
      to
     
     
      nominate
      more
      women
      to
      create
      a
      equal
     
     
      gender
      balance
      on
      party
      lists,
      he
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      the
      mixed-member
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      proportional
      system,
      each
      party
      will
     
     
      offer
      a
      list
      of
      10
      people
      who
      campaign
     
     
      Island-wide,
      not
      for
      any
      specific
      district.
     
     
      The
      number
      of
      people
      on
      each
      list
      who
     
     
      get
      elected
      to
      the
      legislature
      depends
     
     
      on
      the
      percentage
      of
      votes
      that
      party
     
     
      gets.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      new
      system
      will
      make
     
     
      legislature
      more
      accountable
      and
      more
     
     
      representative,
      Pursey
      said.
     
    

    
     
      “For
      the
      first
      time,
      Islanders
      will
     
     
      be
      able
      to
      vote
      in
      elections
      which
      will
     
     
      truly
      represent
      the
      will
      of
      the
      people.”
     
    

    
     
      Lund
      said
      the
      proportional
     
     
      system
      will
      allow
      more
      focus
      on
      issues
     
     
      affecting
      women.
      She
      said
      the
      current
     
     
      system
      involves
      “pothole
      politics,”
      in
     
     
      which
      local
      issues
      affecting
      residents
      of
     
     
      a
      specific
      district,
      such
      as
      a
      bad
      pothole,
     
     
      are
      given
      more
      attention
      than
      issues
     
     
      affecting
      many
      Islanders,
      such
      as
      family
     
     
      violence
      and
      lack
      of
      daycare
      space,
      etc.
     
    

    
     
      “There’s
      nothing
      wrong
      with
     
     
      dealing
      in
      local
      issues.
      The
      current
     
     
      system
      rewards
      only
      for
      dealing
      with
     
     
      local
      issues
      and
      less
      rewards
      for
      dealing
     
     
      with
      issues
      on
      a
      more
      Island-wide
     
     
      basis.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      proposed
      system
      will
      give
     
     
      parties
      more
      incentive
      to
      focus
      on
      these
     
     
      Island-wide
      issues,
      she
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Greenan
      hopes
      more
      people
     
     
      will
      be
      on
      the
      yes
      side
      as
      they
      learn
     
     
      more
      about
      the
      system’s
      benefits.
      He
     
     
      also
      urged
      MLAs
      to
      respect
      both
      the
     
     
      commission’s
      findings
      and
      the
      results
      of
     
     
      the
      plebiscite.
     
    

    
     
      He
      said
      he
      doesn’t
      agree
      with
     
     
      Premier
      Pat
      Binns’
      decision
      to
      only
     
     
      consider
      the
      results
      of
      the
      plebiscite
      if
     
     
      60
      per
      cent
      of
      voters
      support
      the
      new
     
     
      system,
      noting
      that
      many
      majority
     
     
      governments,
      such
      as
      Binn’s
      first
     
     
      government
      in
      1996,
      came
      into
      power
     
     
      with
      less
      than
      50
      per
      cent
      of
      decided
     
     
      voters.
     
    

    
     
      “In
      a
      democracy,
      50
      per
      cent
     
     
      plus
      one
      should
      rule.”
     
    

    
     
      David
      MacDonald
      is
      a
      student
      in
      the
     
     
      Journalism
      Program
      at
      Holland
      College.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Continued
      from
      page
      14
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      year
      begins
      and
      a
      large
      amount
      of
      PCs
     
     
      connect
      to
      the
      network.
     
    

    
     
      “Tf
      parents
      bought
      their
      children
     
     
      a
      PC
      from
      Future
      Shop
      and
      brought
      it
     
     
      straight
      to
      residence,
      the
      computer
     
     
      would
      already
      be
      far
      out
      of
      date
      in
     
     
      security
      protection
      when
      it
      joins
      our
     
     
      network,”
      says
      Gagne,
      outlining
      the
     
     
      difficulty
      of
      protecting
      against
      a
      flood
     
     
      of
      incoming
      computers.
     
    

    
     
      But
      changes
      have
      been
      slow
      to
     
     
      take
      place
      in
      the
      past
      and
      remain
     
     
      difficult,
      even
      a
      year
      after
      the
      university
     
     
      overhauled
      its
      network.
     
    

    
     
      “Students
      always
      get
     
     
      disconnect[ed]
      in
      residence
      and
      we
      had
     
     
      a
      lot
      of
      trouble
      with
      the
      Internet
      at
      the
     
     
      beginning,”
      says
      second-year
     
     
      psychology
      major,
      Jennifer
      Dorian.
      She
     
     
      mentioned
      similar
      problems
      last
      year
      on
     
     
      residence,
      when
      the
      Internet
      had
      been
     
     
      much
      slower
      than
      normal.
     
    

    
     
      “Plans
      revolve
      around
      [the]
     
     
      academic
      year,
      any
      major
      changes
      [will]
     
     
      take
      effect
      next
      September,”
      says
     
     
      Russel,
      citing
      difficulties
      in
      implementing
     
     
      changes.
     
    

    
     
      -With
      files
      from
      Roman
      Kharzin
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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