FACE TO FACE: Is the Tory government's Fair Representation Act indeed fair?
It seems the Stephen Harper government is following Ottawa's time-honoured tradition of kow-towing to the separatists in Quebec.
Late last month, the Tories announced a bill that would add 30 seats to the House of Commons. The so-called Fair Representation Act is meant to move Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia closer to representation by population.
Unfortunately, the new act puts Quebec's interests in front of the rest of Canada's.
Under the Tory plan, B.C., currently with 13.3% of Canada's population, will have only a 12.5% share of the Commons seats while Alberta, with 11% of the population, will have just 10.15% of the seats. Ontario fares even worse: With 38.8% of the country's population, Ontario will have just 36.1% of seats in our country's lower chamber.
Meanwhile, the new bill gives Quebec three new seats, ensuring that with 23.2% of the population, La Belle Province receives 23.2% of seats in the Commons.
We might as well change the name of the bill to the No-Fair Representation Act.
Canada has a series of constitutional and legislative guarantees that protect the existing number of seats in the four Atlantic provinces, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Voters in these six provinces will continue to see their votes carry more weight.
I guess, in the short-term, until we can re-open the constitution, the Tories can't do anything about that.
But out of the bigger, more populous provinces, why should Quebec be entitled to representation by population when B.C., Alberta, and Ontario are not? Why are we giving Quebec more seats and thereby diluting B.C.'s representation in Ottawa?
My colleague opposite puts forward the tired old "founding nations" argument. I respectfully invite him to join me in the 21st century, when my vote should count the same as any other Canadian's on a percentage basis.
The Harper government's intent with the Fair Representation Act was good but like governments of the past, the Tories got sidetracked by the threat of Quebec nationalism.
Representation by population is a fundamental principle of democracy and we, as a country, must work towards that.
And if that means upsetting nos amis in Quebec, then so be it.
Andy Radia is a Coquitlam resident and political columnist who writes for Yahoo! Canada News and Vancouver View Magazine. He has been politically active in the Tri-Cities, having been involved with election campaigns at all three levels of government, including running for Coquitlam city council in 2005.
