Britain
certainly exhibited a major democratic twist by its Brexit referendum
recently. Besides its vitally significant majority opinion to leave
the EU, other important decisions from the citizens of other
jurisdictions keep happening (except in Ontario, or indeed, Canada).
In
Oklahoma in November will be a “ballot measure” aimed to raise
some $600 million to pay a $5,000 per year increase in teacher’s
salaries. Oklahoma, it seems, happens to have the lowest paid
teachers in America. The method to raise that sum is to be by adding
a penny in the dollar to state sales taxes.
It
is difficult to raise taxes in Oklahoma, according to the Economist
Magazine of May 28, because of previous citizen initiatives, which
require 75% of legislators to agree before doing so. This
“initiative”, if passed, would partly overcome that political
difficulty.
Twin Falls Idaho is an “ultra-conservative” community within
Idaho, according to the June 4 Economist magazine. Recently a group
tried to obtain 3842 signatures for an initiative to close a refugee
centre there.
However,
the main promoters of the idea were unable to obtain that required
number to have the referendum even considered. They obtained only 894
within the legally mandated 6 month period.
Public
discussions were held; of course the media had its points about the
proposal. But, that local citizens can even pursue such an issue via
a method which would be clearly very democratic, shows that some
nearby areas do employ complex citizen-initiated referendums. They
do pursue issues in a modern, democratic manner.
Getting
back to Britain – no matter your viewpoint, one can understand the
utility of such a process – clearly a democratic means of
determining an important issue. However, it might well have been
better if it were only aspects of the union that were voted upon,
rather than the whole shebang; - such as immigration quotas, for
example. Mr. Cameron the British PM who promoted the stay in the EU
referendum must wish he had followed such precedent.
For
in most areas employing referendums such issues are initiated by the
citizens – not by the head government itself. Indeed in such well
organized places such as Switzerland it is only such citizen
initiated referendums that are allowable.
However,
in Canada we cannot, it seems, even yet persuade our government that
to change the manner of electing our supposed representatives, it
should only be concluded via a nation-wide, democratically conclusive
referendum. It should not simply be determined by the elected
representatives themselves.
Are
we that backward in Canada about democracy? Its meaning is –
“citizens rule”. Other parts of the world employ it – in
usually carefully monitored referendums. Why cannot we do so?
