Home » Activities » Ontario Votes 2007

Ontario Votes 2007

Ontario Provincial election and referendum held October 10, 2007.

Disappointments with Ontario election.

I watched the election last night up to the point it was clear we lost the referendum, and that the possible breakthrough for Ontario's 4'th party was lost in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. Had Shane Jolley won that riding for the Greens, the leaders debate for the next election would have been very different. This morning I also learn that Ontario voter turnout was a record low, suggesting that Ontario voters were simply bored by the whole process.

Less strategic voting this election due to referendum?

Listening to the campaign this year I notice something different. A hallmark of nearly every election I've voted in federally or provincially has been candidates (primarily Liberal or Conservative) talking about how soft voters should "strategically vote" for them to keep out of government the party which you might like the least.

I have heard much less of this during this Ontario election, and I attribute this to the referendum.

Why blog the Ontario Referendum on this site? Why Vote For MMP?

Given this BLOG has been predominantly about federal technology law issues like copyrights and patents, it might have seemed unusual that I've been blogging about the Ontario Referendum and election so much. There are a number of reasons for this.

Ontario democracy fails faith-based test of maturity

A Toronto Star article by Haroon Siddiqui suggests that, "Not all opposition to funding religious schools is driven by bigotry. But much of it is, as candidates from the election trenches attest."

Fewer riding representatives in Northern Ontario? Not likely.

While I currently live in Ottawa, I grew up in Sudbury. There is a fear in Northern Ontario that the MMP proposal could reduce the representation in Northern Ontario even more than has happened in the past. While the majority of Ontario's population primarily vote based on ideas and thus party platform and performance, Northern Ontario is special in that geographical considerations are considered more important than they are in other parts of the province.

Replies to questions from Dalton McGuinty, Ottawa South Liberal candidate

I received the following as a reply to the questions I sent to Ottawa South candidates. Mr. McGuinty was only one of two candidates who replied thus far, and I'm thankful that he and his team took the time to reply.

Perfect Proposal? How might the MMP proposal affect Northern Ontario?

The following is posted as a comment on the blog for TVO's The Agenda.

I wanted to post a comment in favor of the MMP proposal, partly in reply to the last comment.

The purpose of the Citizens Assembly was not to recommend the impossible which is a system everyone would think is 'perfect'. The intention was to get average Ontario citizens together, one per riding, and of sufficient diversity, to think as average Ontario citizens would. They were not intended to come up with an electoral system that is only understandable by academics, but to study and make a recommendation of what electoral system is best for Ontario given how voters actually vote. They could easily have decided that the current system is fine, but after being informed of the options decided MMP was far better.

Report Card on Ontario Parties' Good Government Promises

As part of Democracy Watch's coverage of the Ontario Election and Referendum 2007 they have released a Report Card on Ontario Parties' Good Government Promises.

Report Card Reveals No Matter Which Party Wins, Ontario Government and Large Corporations Will Remain Largely Unaccountable for Dishonest, Unethical, Secretive, Unrepresentative and Wasteful Activities Because of Key Gaps in Main Provincial Parties' "Good Government" Platforms

Greens, NDP and Conservatives Tie With an Overall D, Liberals Worst With Overall F+ -- Lack of Honesty-in-Politics Law Means Voters Should Not Trust Promises

Faith-based Funding and One School System

My School Trustee has posted an article about Faith-based Funding and One School System written a few days ago.

It is interesting that Mr. Tory is trying to have it both ways as well now in that he believes it will draw social conservative votes to state he is in favor of faith based school funding, while at the same time not denying him progressive voters by saying he would allow a free vote on the subject (which effectively kills it).

All MMP Candidates To Be Nominated Democratically

According to an article on VoteForMMP as well as DemocraticSpace, the 4 parties that make up 98.6% of the votes in 2003 have all officially committed to holding democratic nominations for list candidates under the recommended mixed-member proportional (MMP) system.

Syndicate content