Maybe it’s just my perpetual cynicism nowadays when it comes to AB Politics but I feel like this next provincial election is going to be another political and legal clusterfuck before we even make it to the voting booths
Peggy Garritty, Marie Gordon, Anne McLellan, and Doug Stollery penned a joint op-ed about Alberta’s Electoral Boundaries Commission:
“We urge the government to accept the majority report in its entirety. This is the only option to guard against partisan interference that would secure an electoral advantage for one party over another. To do otherwise invites litigation, unprecedented concern about the independence of the commission, loss of trust in basic electoral fairness, and a radical rejection of the voices of many Albertans who took time to weigh in on the redesign of the electoral map.”
A thoughtful and well-reasoned examination, Dave. I don't think your comments concerning gerrymandering are hyperbole at all. That has been a feature of electoral maps in Canada and the U.S. for decades, although not as severe in Canada as in the U.S. (particularly "red states"). The UCP is well aware of what's taking place in this regard in states like Texas, so, of course, their appointees will want to follow suit. Can the majority of UCP MLAs be trusted to adopt the majority recommendations? I know what the evidence indicates is likely.
Thanks for the comment, Brad. It's going to be very interesting to watch how this unfolds in the Legislature. It's so important that these types of processes be arms-length from the politicians, but I worry that's not going to be the case this time...
The whole process of defining boundaries begs for change, getting rid of First Past the Post (FPTP) in favour of (reintroducing!) Proportional Representation (PR). The adversarial system of FPTP, beloved of politicians and lawyers, results in poor turnouts since usually the majority of the electorate ends up unrepresented in the legislature in favour of career politicians grasping for power in a plurality where no-one 'wins'. PR counts every vote toward getting a proper balanced representation in the legislature reflecting the wishes of the electorate, and thus debates can occur and better decision-making results, not just the fiat of a dominant leader (authoritarianism).
As a resident in a peripheral area of Edmonton, one cannot deny the influence an urban centre has on the surrounding counties. We might live in one and work in the other, sleep in one and dine and party in the other. They are so connected that it's not surprising the boundaries are getting blurred. This is a realization of the mobility and flow of our population. Not recognizing this, or pinning the entire move to politics is a bit naive.
Maybe it’s just my perpetual cynicism nowadays when it comes to AB Politics but I feel like this next provincial election is going to be another political and legal clusterfuck before we even make it to the voting booths
I think the minority map, if adopted, would almost certainly be challenged in the courts.
And knowing her, that’s probably what she wants given her friction with the courts
Peggy Garritty, Marie Gordon, Anne McLellan, and Doug Stollery penned a joint op-ed about Alberta’s Electoral Boundaries Commission:
“We urge the government to accept the majority report in its entirety. This is the only option to guard against partisan interference that would secure an electoral advantage for one party over another. To do otherwise invites litigation, unprecedented concern about the independence of the commission, loss of trust in basic electoral fairness, and a radical rejection of the voices of many Albertans who took time to weigh in on the redesign of the electoral map.”
https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-alberta-must-reject-a-gerrymandered-electoral-map
A thoughtful and well-reasoned examination, Dave. I don't think your comments concerning gerrymandering are hyperbole at all. That has been a feature of electoral maps in Canada and the U.S. for decades, although not as severe in Canada as in the U.S. (particularly "red states"). The UCP is well aware of what's taking place in this regard in states like Texas, so, of course, their appointees will want to follow suit. Can the majority of UCP MLAs be trusted to adopt the majority recommendations? I know what the evidence indicates is likely.
Thanks for the comment, Brad. It's going to be very interesting to watch how this unfolds in the Legislature. It's so important that these types of processes be arms-length from the politicians, but I worry that's not going to be the case this time...
The whole process of defining boundaries begs for change, getting rid of First Past the Post (FPTP) in favour of (reintroducing!) Proportional Representation (PR). The adversarial system of FPTP, beloved of politicians and lawyers, results in poor turnouts since usually the majority of the electorate ends up unrepresented in the legislature in favour of career politicians grasping for power in a plurality where no-one 'wins'. PR counts every vote toward getting a proper balanced representation in the legislature reflecting the wishes of the electorate, and thus debates can occur and better decision-making results, not just the fiat of a dominant leader (authoritarianism).
Oh, and just for the record, there is a lot more valuable information on PR vs. FPTP on Fair Vote Canada's website https://www.fairvote.ca/
Thanks for the comment, Mark. PR or another system that better reflects the votes cast in the results would be a big improvement.
As a resident in a peripheral area of Edmonton, one cannot deny the influence an urban centre has on the surrounding counties. We might live in one and work in the other, sleep in one and dine and party in the other. They are so connected that it's not surprising the boundaries are getting blurred. This is a realization of the mobility and flow of our population. Not recognizing this, or pinning the entire move to politics is a bit naive.
All I have to say is Gerrymandering! There will be Gerrymandering if Smith is determined to win the next election.
The electoral boundaries commission website has been taken down but the commission’s interim report, final report, and public submissions are available on the Elections Alberta website: https://www.elections.ab.ca/resources/reports/electoral-boundaries-commission/
There's a good story about the boundary final report written by Jeremy Appel in the Alberta Native News that is worth checking out: https://www.albertanativenews.com/ebc-final-report-backtracks-on-proposed-northern-indigenous-riding/