Chamber Forum - First Past The Post Electoral System Is It Good Or Bad?
On Tuesday evening the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce held an all candidates forum for all six candidates vying to be the next MP in the Moose Jaw - Lake Centre - Lanigan riding.
To help voters make up their minds we are running the questions and the answers from the candidates to the questions put forward to them in that forum in no particular order.
The first question we feature is one about the First Past the Post system and how the candidate with the most votes represents the riding. Some have said this is a system where only the votes for the winner count and other voters are not represented. It is a major component on the issue of electoral reform.
QUESTION - It is well known that the election is already decided by the time the polls close here locally what is your stance on first past the post electoral system? If you see it as an issue what would you do to rectify it?
Chey Craik, People’s Party of Canada candidate, said he had no answers on the best way to reform the electoral system but on a local note voting for other conservative voices like his would not allow a vote split sufficient to elect the Liberals or the NDP.
“There are currently many systems used around the world the first past the post I don’t know how we reform that. I don't know what the correct answer is,” Craik said, adding “I do know that there is no post is one of the best marketing campaigns that the Conservative campaigns have ever put forward.”
“Here in this riding the current incumbent won 71 percent of the vote, the second place NDP 17 percent of the vote therefore the conservative voice you could split that more than three ways and not have room for the NDP or the Liberals whatever is happening in this riding. Pick someone who you want to represent you. Pick someone to be your voice. Vote for me Chey Craik People’s Party of Canada in Moose Jaw - Lake Centre - Lanigan as your candidate.”
Katelyn Zimmer, Liberal Party of Canada candidate, said she understood the feeling felt by many in the West and how it was important to not vote strategically but vote for the candidate you want to vote for.
“I can understand the frustration felt and how that might add to the feelings to the West being forgotten,” Zimmer said. “I would like to comment any time you are looking at overhauling a big system on how we elect our government it is going to take time and money and so that is going to be a huge investment.”
“I think, I agree we should not allow that dictate our votes. We should not feel we don’t have a voice or that our vote doesn’t matter just because this riding has been Conservative and has always been held by the Conservatives. And so I think it is more important than ever to vote for the representative that you want for you in Ottawa. And not worry about voting for strategical reasons,” she said.
Talon Regent, New Democratic Party candidate, said electoral reform was vital to our democracy and only an NDP government could deliver electoral reform as the Conservatives and the Liberals had no inclination to make changes as they benefit the most under the existing system.
He ends by saying the local Conservative candidate might say there is a need for more accountability but they won’t do anything in the end because the present system benefits the Conservatives as well.
“The first past the post system is wrong and it needs to be overhauled. and yes it will take some hard work to do it but it is necessary, ” Regent said. “It is necessary for our democracy that we get rid of this first past the post system.”
“Justin Trudeau campaigned on that in 2015. He was quoted as saying this would be the last election under the first past the post system and here we are two elections later and it is still first past the post. And Justin Trudeau has abandoned that as an issue,” he said, adding “He has decided and realized that the Liberals and the Conservatives are the ones that benefit most from the first past the post system.”
“They like their majority governments and so they will never change it. Neither will Liberals who just flat out said it nor the Conservatives because the Conservatives also benefit. The New Democratic Party is the credible Party that is going to get rid of this. We are gong to replace it with a mixed member proportional representation system.”
“I don’t want to get into what that means in the nitty gritty but what that means is that we will see more representation in Saskatchewan. We will have a stronger voice and every vote will count. You don’t have to vote strategically for the guy in blue or the guy in red because they are pitching almost the exact same platform. You can vote with your heart. You can vote however you want to. A New Democratic government will empower you to have faith in that sort of system. Whereas the Liberals and the Conservatives they don’t want to change because they benefit from this.”
It is like my Conservative candidate talking about wanting to overhaul accountability but it is his government that has had control over that for decades and didn’t do anything about it because they benefitted. We need somebody that is new. Somebody that is fighting for you - the New Democratic Party,” Regent said just as the time to answer the question expired.
Fraser Tolmie, Conservative Party of Canada candidate, gave a brief response pointing out in the last election the Conservatives had the most votes and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had not delivered on his 2015 election promise to reform the political system.
“I will agree that Mr Trudeau did campaign on electoral reform and has not delivered on that promise. I would also like to point out in 2019 that Andrew Scheer, the leader of the Conservative Party, had won the popular vote and so right now it is the electoral system that we have and unfortunately no one has been able to deliver on the promises that were given in 2015,” Tolmie said.
Craig Townsend , Maverick Party candidate, said the Mavericks would take an approach to Western alienation by de-centralizing federal government services to Western Canada. This approach would be a fair and balanced representation of the federal civil services and offices to better serve the four Western provinces.
“The Maverick Party believes in democratic constitutional reform. Our Party supports a fair and balanced representation of federal civil service and federal offices in Western Canada. We advocate for the de-centralization of the federal civil service and offices to Western Canada to better serve the unique interests of Canadians in the four Western provinces,” Townsend said.