A summary of the changes I would make to reclaim democracy in Canada from the political class who have captured it for their own benefit.
Change the electoral system
Candidates must only be elected if they receive the votes of at least half of the voters who cast ballots. This could be achieved through a ranked voting or single transferable voting system. This would prevent the election of polarizing parties and candidates who would only receive a plurality of the votes.
Eliminate financial subsidies to political parties
One of the biggest wastes of taxpayer funds are the subsidies that are paid to political parties. Political parties and candidates can fundraise without taxpayer support. Looking at the shameful ads that political parties spend their money on, they could still perform their functions without subsidies. I would eliminate all public funding for political parties and candidates.
A Single, Written Constitution
Our Constitution should be a single, written document that Canadians should be able to read and understand. Having a Constitution that is partially written in several different documents makes it difficult for all but the most dedicated to understand what our Constitution actually says and means. Canadians would be better served and more engaged in their government if we had a Constitution that all could read and understand.
Abolish the Monarchy
Having a monarchy as Head of State has no place in the 21st century. The monarchy of the United Kingdom is part of Canada’s history but there is no need for it to continue to be part of our system of government.
Abolish the Senate
Canada’s unelected and nonsensical “reigonal” nature is a flawed relic from the 19th century. Multiple efforts to reform it have failed. It is better to abolish it and to invest additional resources into the House of Commons to serve the purpose of providing good government.
Representation by Population
The seats in the House of Commons should be allocated on the basis of representation by population. Since confederation a series of compromises and special deals have seriously weakened the core democratic principle that all Canadians should have an equal vote. These compromises should be left in the 19th and 20th centuries and be replaced with the simple and fair principle of representation by population.
Political Advertising Limits
Apply spending limits on political advertising for candidates, political parties, and third parties on a permanent basis. Like it or not, political campaigning and spending is constant, no longer limited to election campaigns or even the few months leading up to one. Periods of unlimited political spending allow the wealthy to unduly influence our democracy. Reasonable limits on political spending should apply on a permanent basis.
Change the Name of British Columbia
Our connection with Britain is historical but it no longer defines our existence. Our province is no longer British and most people in our province have little or no connection to Britain. Britain is part of our province’s history but there is no need for our province to be named after Britain.
Give People the Power to Recall their Elected Representatives
Recall legislation should be in place at the federal, provincial, and local level. The need for this is heightened by our current electoral system where polarizing, celebrity candidates are winning election with less than 50% of the vote. When elected officials turn out to be ineffective, corrupt, unethical or just poor representatives, there must be a mechanism to remove them from their position.