It looks like we are in for another session of whining from Quebec NDP members, this time over the number of seats Quebec will have in the House of Commons after the next redistribution of seats.
Right now Quebec has 24 per cent of the seats, representing approximately 23 per cent of Canada's population. From my point of view that is a pretty good balance.
However, the Canadian population has been shifting westward. B.C. and Alberta are under-represented, as is Ontario which remains a favourite destination for many new immigrants. The Conservatives plan to introduce legislation that adjusts the number of seats in the House of Commons to correct this situation.
If the Conservative proposal is the same as they introduced in 2010, it would add 18 seats to Ontario bringing its total up to 124 MPs. British Columbia would increase from 36 seats to 43 and Alberta would go from 28 MPs to 33.
Even interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel had to concede that these provinces are under-represented and this needs to be fixed. Yet according to the interim NDP leader, "The approach of the Harper government is really divisive right now. It's not constructive, it's not nation-building," At this point it looks like the NDP will revert back to the old Bloc rallying cry... we are being unfair to Quebec!
It is worth noting that "Layton, in a letter to then-Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe in 2010, countered with a proposal that denounced the Harper government's attempts to 'marginalize the Quebec nation.' Layton called on Harper to drop any legislative step "that would lead to the reduction of Quebec's political weight in the House of Commons." (Postmedia, August 18, 2011)
The NDP argument is pretty weak if Quebec and other provinces don't lose any of their existing seats with this redistribution or further down the road when adjustments are made in the decades ahead. If in the case of the Quebec numbers, the number of seats you have accurately represents your population you aren't being marginalized. If you don't lose seats, you aren't being marginalized. Is it more divisive to support adequate representation or to whine that you are being treated unfairly and that you want special consideration?
As for reducing Quebec's political weight in the House of Commons, the NDP managed to do that when they forced an unnecessary election and handed the Conservatives a majority government which was elected with virtually no Conservative MPs from Quebec.
It would be interesting to know how NDP MPs who represent provinces other than Quebec feel about a party policy that insists that Quebec get more than its share of influence in the House of Commons. They should try to explain that one to their constituents in B.C., Alberta and Ontario.
Is the NDP becoming the new Bloc? Time will tell.
Keith Beardsley's political blog can be found at www.atory01.com.
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Well the tables have turned, the bluff has been called, and it is now time for them to shut up before the ROC kicks them out and sends them all back to France where they belong.
Maybe third time's the charm.
But to allow significant under-representation to continue breaks that convenant. If Quebec votes count for far more than western votes, westerners might not be in the mood to "follow the rules" because, they can reasonably argue, it isn't a democracy.
And the NDP should know that.
To make it fair to those three provinces, he should be adding seats, it is not divisive at all, it is an issue of fairness to the taxpayers in those three provinces.
Wiki has a good overview:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Commons_of_Canada#Members_and_electoral_districts
Is it the intention of this article is to carry on the Harper tradition from the last election campaign "Demonize the NDP Demonize the NDP...".... just plant seeds of disharmony to get people worried about the NDP,
like years back when the NDP were too 'socialist' and Tommy Douglas almost a dreaded communist (so would say his opponents)
Without Tommy Douglas, we might not universal health care which says that health care in Canada ought to be a right, not a privilege. (insert jokes about condition of health care system here_________)
I think the NDP is no more going to become the next Bloc than they were 'pinko commies' back in the day. The NDP is an instigator of change supporting a healthy lower to middle income earner. Perhaps placing high value on the lower to middle income earner has helped keep our economy more stable than the U.S. Big business can't make money if there is no healthy, financially stable lower to middle income earners to buy what their products
Some folks in Ottawa worry about too many NDP in Ottawa. Would plush pensions after 4 years of service be a thing if the past? Would the electoral system more accurately represent the people of Canada? They 'diss' the NDP when they start to make too much sense to more people.
I have no fears of the NDP becoming the next Bloc.
Quebec peaked in 1967 and it's been falling behind Ontario for 44 years. In 1967 Quebec had 6 million people and Ontario had 8 million. To-day Quebec has 8 million and Ontario has close to 13 million. Thanks to the Parti-Quebecois a lot of people have left. They sure were good at chasing businesses away.And the fact that Macleans magazine declared Quebec as the most corrupt province in Canada didn't help. I have a number of friends that moved to Ontario from Quebec and they won't be moving back.Too bad to see Montreal get left behind Toronto.
In the end they have no one to blame but themselves. Two decades of supporting a separatist party has made the rest of Canada tune them out. By voting Bloc for so long they sent the message loud and clear they do not wish to take part in the national discussion but ONLY care about Quebec.
I see that Harper and his lackeys are taking a page from Ralph Klein's playbook - one of many - in describing any opposition to their policies as "whining". Proportional representation and a preferential ballot - the sooner the better.