I've cancelled my subscription to the Toronto Star because of its biased referendum coverage

This is a copy of a letter to the editor I sent this morning to the Toronto Star. Enough is enough.

Dear Editor,

re: Electoral reform a backward step

I've been disgusted by the Toronto Star's unfair, biased coverage of the Citizens' Assembly referendum for weeks.

You've misinformed your readers by frequently referring to new province-wide MPPs under the new system as "appointed" or "selected."

In fact, all MPPs under the new system will be elected directly by voters. Voters will have two ballots, one for their local representative like now and one vote that will count right across the province and directly elect 39 new province-wide MPPs. Those 39 new province-wide MPPs will be accountable to voters, giving voters much more representation at Queen's Park than they have now. Those new MPPs will ensure that party representation in the legislature matches the party vote overall.

The Star's analysis around the need to reform our antiquated system has been willfully ignorant. Other jurisdictions with MMP have governments that are very stable and effective. Fringe parties almost never hold the balance of power.

For a paper that purports to support the little guy, the disenfranchised and the weak, your opposition to a voting system that would ensure all Ontarians have a voice in the legislature and that voters' wishes at election time aren't distorted by an archaic system is truly disappointing.

As such, I have cancelled my subscription to your paper. I will no longer give money to a newspaper that's willing to misinform readers on crucial public issues.

Sincerely,
Matt Guerin

Modernized voting system has deck stacked against it

Capital Xtra, serving Ottawa's LGBT community, published this article by reporter Laura Mueller this week on the referendum debate.

Here's an excerpt:

"Despite the doom and gloom perspective extolled by critics of MMP, history has shown that minority governments have been good for queer rights — a Liberal-NDP coalition added sexual orientation to the Ontario Human Rights Code in 1986. And let's not forget that minority governments at the federal level gave us universal health care, old-age pensions, and unemployment insurance among other popular legislation.

"Nathan Hauch, longtime political activist, says that minority governments limit the ability of social conservatives to scale back gay rights.

"The politics of divide and conquer, which can have very negative ramifications for [queer] voters, will be far less attractive for political elites" in minority governments, says Hauch."

Tequila

A hilarious spoof produced in the same vein as American drug commercials. Thankfully, such commercials are banned in Canada. I found Tequila very helpful getting over Outremont last week (just kidding ;-))

Rick Anderson: CBC Newsworld

The Chair of the Vote For MMP campaign in Ontario, Rick Anderson, appeared last week on CBC's Politics. Anderson speaks eloquently about the referendum campaign and why Ontario voters should choose the Citizens' Assembly's recommendation for change on October 10th.

Filipino prisoners exercise/dance/re-enact Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video

One of the strangest, most interesting things I've ever seen on Youtube. There are other videos of these prisoners doing other routines, including "I Will Follow Him," from Sister Act.

The Chaser's War on Everything - Terrorist security response

I'm really beginning to wish we had this Australian show available on regular cable in Canada. These guys are funny. Here is a segment which examines how security responds to an American tourist recording a video as opposed to someone dressed "slightly differently". They pulled off a similar stunt today in Sydney at the summit of leaders from Pacific Rim countries with a motorcade using Canadian flags (we're flattered) and someone dressed up as Osama bin Laden. I'll post a video of that when it becomes available.