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Time For Recall Legislation
BLOG POST posted on May 5, 2010 by Steve Caines
Blog posts are the work of individual contributors, reflecting their thoughts, opinions and research.
Time For Recall Legislation - Letter to the Editor Chronicle Herald
RE: “Our Crisis in Democracy” May 5th. Michael Whalen and Anthony Davis highlighted some important issues regarding the state of Canada's democratic system and people's participation in it, but they neglected to include a few significant points.
Low voter turnout and general feelings of apathy amongst the public toward participating in the democratic system is not due to any lack of caring about serious issues, but due to discontent with the political system in its current form. If the goal is to increase public participation in the political system, then legislation must be put in place that gives people a fighting chance to meaningfully participate. The public must have the ability to work around representatives who routinely refuse to respect the will of the public and/or who insist on working on behalf of narrow interests instead of the public good.
As it stands now, citizens in Nova Scotia have no ability to recall any elected official that disregards the public will. Nova Scotia should follow the lead of British Columbia, which has created recall legislation for elected officials, and referendum legislation, which supports the ability of citizens to petition for binding referenda on issues of concern. Such legislation would help ensure that representatives follow through on the things that they were elected to do, stop misconduct, and signal to the public that their voice matters.
Stephen Caines
Halifax, Nova Scotia
In response to "Our Crisis in Democracy": http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/1180718.html
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