The Hospital Professionals Division Newsletter February ... - OPSEU

OPSEU members need to make their voices heard on
electoral reform: Make your vote count
By Leah Casselman, OPSEU
President
Does your vote count
Because our first-past-thepost
voting system is sharply
skewed against the wishes of
the majority, the
governments we elect are
usually less progressive than we are.
For instance, even though the majority of
people in Canada want action on health care, child
poverty, child care and climate change, the Liberals
got away with doing pretty much nothing on these
issues from 1993 to 2004. They did this despite
three “majority” governments in a row after they
won with only 41, 38, and 41 per cent of votes cast.
It doesn’t need to be like that.
Minority governments get more credit for
progressive acts like the end to extra-billing by
Ontario doctors. Medicare was brought in by a
minority Liberal government with the backing of
the NDP.
These minority governments succeeded because
the NDP moved from being an advocate for the
people to being a “bargaining agent” for the people.
Would Stephen Harper be making any progressive
noises about the environment right now if he had a
majority government Not on your life.
Here in Ontario, we’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime
chance to change to a proportional representation
system that will ensure that every vote counts. We
need a simple way to vote that guarantees that the
percentage of seats a party wins matches the
percentage of votes it earns.
A citizens’ assembly is now meeting to decide we
need a new electoral system. They have until May 15
to craft a proposal. There could be a referendum on it
next October. For more information, see Fair Vote
Canada at www.fairvotecanada.org
The true winners from electoral reform in Canada
will be the voters who have been shut out of power
for too long.
Authorized by:
Leah Casselman
President
Hospital Professionals Division Executive 2005-07
Patricia Rout Local 348 Chair Lakeridge Health Corp. Oshawa
Yves Shank Local 659 Vice-Chair Sudbury Regional Hospital
Bryan Mitchell Local 570 Secretary Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
Pat McNamara Local 566 Treasurer Toronto East General
Boris Prus Local 141 Education & Membership Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
Brendan Kilcline Local 444 Health & Safety Kingston General Hospital
Susan Head Local 464 Job Security Ottawa Hospital
Chris Luscombe-Mills Local 466 Public Policy Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital
Yves Shank Local 659 Chair - Central Team Sudbury Regional Hospital
Peggy Burke Local 662 First Alternate North Bay General Hospital
www.hospitalprofessionals.org
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