Odd Job Jack

Well, Jack Layton has opened his mouth, and Canadians wish he'd just have kept it shut. I'm referring, of course, to his electoral reform package. What a joke. Every single proposal Mr. Layton has made undermines political accountability, and takes representation further away from the people. I simply don't understand how stupid Odd Job Jack thinks we are, if he expects us to actually buy his BS.

Let's look at what he's proposed. First, the introduction of PR to the House of Commons. Well, isn't that nice. Assuming that take some logical conclusions from his remarks, we're looking, most likely, at a Mixed Member Proportional system. Either the Commons gets bigger to maintain current riding sizes, while allowing the PR reps to get their seats, or ridings become even bigger than they really are, causing major hardship to those in rural ridings who may already live a day's drive from their MP. Beyond that, the creation of this system creates MPs who are only accountable to their own Party's leadership. Who do the PEOPLE get to hold accountable when one of those MPs screws something up? What's stopping those MPs from abusing the public trust when they don't have to answer directly to the people? "Trust me," says Jack. Right.

Then the next proposal: forcing MPs who change political affiliation to stand in a by-election. At first glance, it's not a bad idea. But the fact of the matter is that in our system, we vote for people, not parties. It is the political establishment that has twisted and perverted the system to further partisan interests, that has made us forget about this. One of the worst culprits in the matter is the NDP, which has a long history of refusing to allow its MPs to represent their constituents, that censors what they say, and that forces them to follow the party line, right down to the letter. We saw that Jack Layton put partisanship ahead of Canadians when he brought down this Parliament, so I guess it should come as no surpise that he's willing to ignore the Constitutionally guaranteed Freedom of Association that was so dearly fought for. This latest development marks one of the darkest chapters in Canadian political history, where three out of the four officially recognized parties have announced their intent to put the Constitution through the shredder. Anyone who believes in the promise of Canada should be incredibly alarmed.