If you could reform Canada's political system in any way imaginable, what would you do?

watchman_wen · 2012-05-25T06:01:05.440219+00:00

Voting reform. I don't have a preferred answer, but I'm sure discussion papers and consultation with voters and experts could nail down a system that would address the shortfalls of the current system.

While were at it, let's make all ridings more-or-less the same size. We can make up for the shift in power by pushing programs and funding down to lower levels of government wherever possible. In fact, let's make municipalities constitutional entities and allow them to levy whatever taxes they like, subject to sufficient oversight.

Similarly, let's decentralizing power within parties - weaker whips, party riding associations pick their own candidates, allowing the caucus to demote their leader.

Finally, what's the point without accountability and transparency? I'd bring back ministerial accountability, I'd enact all the Access to Information and Privacy reform proposals suggested by Info and Privacy Commissioners over the years, I'd push super hard for open government and open data in general and abolish crown copyright.

Tweakedenigma · 2012-05-25T04:09:00.198799+00:00

Beyond that, the industry likely wouldn't die. Seasonal workers are no different than consultants. Consultants charge more than an equivalent permanent employee since they don't have 100% billable hours - they just make up the difference by charging higher hourly rates. Presumably once you take away the EI subsidy, we'd just see the same thing happen with the seasonal employees. Fish prices would likely go up a bit, but that's how the market works.

theycallmebug · 2012-05-25T04:01:48.855090+00:00

Possibly the cheapest garage in the city too.

theycallmebug · 2012-05-25T04:01:09.743162+00:00

Who are these people that choose to drive in Kensington?

jaebigdong · 2012-05-25T03:58:32.422020+00:00

And the worst part.

nicholmikey · 2012-05-24T14:13:09.860864+00:00

You got my spite upvote!

m4caque · 1 day

Certainly tough to prove conclusively. I thought I saw some sort of analysis a while back but I can't recall any of the details. It's certainly heartening to hear that the police resent the bad ones, hopefully they're putting internal pressure for keeping things clean.

Borror0 · 1 day

That assumes perfect transparency. For instance, along the same lines you could say "if you don't support C-30, don't use a company that promotes it." But it turns out that a bunch of companies had secret meetings with the government about it. How do I know if Wind supports C-30 if they're not transparent about it? Now extend this to everything political, and there's simply no way to know in what ways every company is dealing with politics in policy. It's neither possible nor practical.

m4caque · 1 day

Do Crown Attorneys tend to pursue charges against cops though? Do judges tend to find in their favour? I gather that the entire justice system has a soft spot when it comes to pursuing internal criminals.

Natural_RX · 1 day

Hah I was complaining about the "LRT won't work because winter" argument to my lady friend the other day, pointing out that we have subways, streetcars, via trains and GO trains that all work perfectly well in the winter, and she interrupted to suggest that I stop using GO trains as an example. She used to be a daily rider, and I gather that winter actually does present a regular barrier for them.

gorilla_the_ape · 3 days

Any reason people on Kingston don't just head to Danforth GO Station instead?

savenor · 3 days

That's an awesome find, do you have a link to the study?

RhyminSaneville · 3 days

FYI: taxis will give you a boost but they'll charge you $15 for the service. I had to do this once when I left my lights on waiting for someone in the loop at City Place. Embarrassing!

aplen22 · 6 days

move to electronic voting which may be more accurate

That's taking liberties with "may" and "accurate". Our American friends ended up with some completely unverifiable and demonstrably undetectably tamperable elections wherever they used electronic voting.

smegmaDinner · 6 days

Please use the official designation for everyone in Toronto that weekend who wasn't a police officer: terrorists/protestors. The words civilian and innocent bystander are just so passé.

smegmaDinner · 6 days

How did the protesters force the police to punch and elbow journalist Jesse Rosenfeld?

roju · 6 days

397-FORD ? :)

smegmaDinner · 6 days

Oh, I'm certainly not excusing his uncritical support of the police and Blair after the G20. And if that was actually his reason, it's certainly a politically cynical move that came at enormous cost by preventing any recovery of the trust between the public and the police.

Nevertheless, Ford was on record saying that he didn't think the police went far enough, so perhaps we would be worse off if Ford had been able to install someone worse. I don't know. I'd feel much more reassured if Blair had done anything at all to clean up the force and figure out what went wrong. I really don't get his motivations behind not doing so.

iameee · 6 days

What if we include the cost of his time?

smegmaDinner · 6 days

I heard a theory the other day that Miller defended Blair because if he ousted him, then there was a chance that Ford would have been the one to pick his successor. Before the G20, Blair had made some significant improvements to policing in Toronto - would Ford be likely to install someone to continue that trend, or to install a corrupt Fantino clone law-and-order type?

roju · 6 days

Yeah, I'm not sure how to help council/staff try new things and iterate more rapidly. I think it was more possible under the old Metro system, where each component city could try new things locally and downtown councillors didn't need to convince, e.g. Etobicoke councillors of the merits of the idea. Bringing more power into the community councils might be an idea. Giving staff more authority to try such things without having to go through council might be an approach as well.

lukey · 6 days

The real blame of the G20 fiasco is not with the PMO for putting it in Toronto, but with the way the TPS handled the weekend.

I think the real blame for the G20 fiasco lies not just with one of the people you mention, but with all of them. PMSH and the PMO played it's part, as did McGuinty, as did Miller and Blair, as did the ISU, the RCMP, the OPP, the TPS, YRP, etc. It also shows the weaknesses of the SIU and the internal controls of the Police Act. Many, many things went horribly wrong, and we should try to identify and fix all of them.

krunchy71 · 6 days

Not to mention freehold duplexes or avenue style walkups.

ride_my_bike · 6 days

Pantalone would have been way better than Ford. Even Smitherman would have been better than Ford. Looking forward and covering the entire political spectrum, John Tory or Shelly Carroll would be better, as would Glen Murray.

Stintz is leaps above Ford in terms of real fiscal conservatism combined with a desire to actually create a great city combined with enough sense to listen to advice and the political understanding needed to get things done.

roju

TROPHY CASE

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