Numbers game

If election turnout is any indication, Canadians are fed up with politicians and the election process. The pitiful turnout at the polls recently at every government level is the equivalent of voters thumbing their collective nose at the entire system. 

A majority of Canadians are anxious for changes to our democratic institutions. Cries for election reform are unanswered.

Proportional representation is not discussed as a viable option. City councillors, MPPs and our representatives on Parliament Hill are often not in tune with Canadian sensitivities and sensibilities.

Well, I’m sure Prime Minister Harper is trying to be as sensitive as he can now that he has a majority. Apparently he feels our electoral pain and as promised, he’s prepared to do something about it.

The prime minister acknowledges the fact Canadians are significantly under-represented in the House of Commons. That’s the good news. The bad news is what he plans to do about it. For Mr. Harper it’s just a matter of readjusting the numbers. Here’s how it works.

First, let’s pick a number that represents the level of effectiveness of our current Canadian government, regardless of political party. Until now that number has been randomly and historically set at 308. After decades of discussion by political pundits of all stripes the prime minister has decided to increase that number by 30, to 338.  That should make things better.

In other words, my fellow Canadians, there is a bill before Parliament that proposes to increase the number of MPs in the House of Commons from 308 to 338.  Ontario will get 15 more federal seats. Quebec will get three more and Alberta and B.C. will each get a half dozen.

Many veteran political observers consider the House to be nothing more than a three-ring circus. Mr. Harper believes hiring 30 more clowns will change all that. 

According to the spin I’ve heard and read so far, these extra seats are intended to make government more sensitive and representative of Canadian views, hopes and aspirations.  But a lot of questions are being asked about this campaign promise, one that the PM is so eager to keep. 

If you remember, the last election promise he kept was to build more prisons and put more Canadians in jail. I find it hard to believe that Canadians are jiggy with that decision, which was also based largely on numbers. Maybe the decision-making process also has to change.

All the critics agree that hiring 30 more MPs will result in one immediate change – it will be more expensive to run Parliament. There will be $11.5 million in additional election costs plus $14.8 million more for operating costs in the House of Commons. In these tough economic times informed Canadians are asking if this is really a necessary expense.

Canada’s population is growing, largely through immigration, and we will continue to need more and more seats in the House.  And speaking of that, where will all these MPs sit?  We’ll need a bigger house before long and the expenses will just keep on piling up. And who will pay for that new high-priced help, as if I didn’t know.

The sad part is, and everybody knows it, for all the trouble and expense the additional seats in the house will not result in better government for Canadians. To use a tired, old cliché, adding more MPs to the House of Commons is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Many Canadians are frustrated by the state of our democracy. They are turned off by winner take all elections that exaggerate regional differences and misrepresent voters.  Unfortunately, our current government seems quite content with the status quo.

Voters around here shouldn’t expect any more representation from the province’s 15 new seats.  The new guys will be mostly in the GTA where the population is growing fast.  As usual we will have to depend on those densely populated urban ridings to make our important decisions for us. 

When it comes to governing by demographics, numbers rule. When it comes to having a voice in Ottawa, Northwestern Ontario just doesn’t have the numbers.

We have a good portion of the world’s remaining fresh water supply and vast areas of the boreal forest grow on our doorstep but we don’t have the population. 

Mr. Harper’s decision to play the numbers game seems like an inappropriate response to a problem he doesn’t really understand.