by Chris Bodenner
A reader writes:
While there are many different types of parliamentary systems in the world, I would certainly hope we don't ever consider the Canadian model. Without being able to cast a vote directly for the prime minister, the public can only vote for the local candidate representing the party of their desired PM. In the last election, that meant that anyone wanting to vote for Jack Layton had to vote for whomever the NDP candidate was in that riding, regardless of their qualifications. As a result, a number of university undergrads became MPs. There is also the more prominent story of the young lady who worked at a college pub who got elected despite never having been to her riding, not being fluent in the language of her constituents, and spending part of the campaign on vacation in Las Vegas.
It's hard to blame the voters, for if they wanted to support Jack Layton's bid to become prime minister, they didn't have any other choice. The irony is that with the sad and sudden passing of Jack Layton, the man most people were truly casting their vote for, is no longer around, but the undergrads and pub workers that actually got elected still are. And given that elections are not held on a regular schedule, who knows how long they'll be in office?
I think its a very silly (and dangerous) thing to force voters to combine their local and national votes into one single party-based vote. This is precisely why I do not support repealing the 17th amendment (an idea that has been discussed frequently as of late). I'd much prefer to vote separately for my senator than to combine my vote for my desired senator with my vote for who will represent me in my state's legislature. They're two different people holding two different positions! It only makes sense that I should get two different votes.
Angus Johnston wrote just after the election:
The youngest of the six new student MPs is Pierre-Luc Dusseault, 19, who is doing a degree in applied political studies at the Université de Sherbrooke. Unlike many of his fellow winners, Dusseault stumped strenuously in his district, which is home to the university he attends. (He also reportedly made extensive use of Twitter in his campaign.) Desseault, a first-year student who co-founded the Université de Sherbrooke NDP club just months ago, calls himself a “political junkie” and had planned to spend the summer working at a local golf course if he didn’t win.
Dusseault is the youngest Canadian MP ever, in fact.
The Dish 