Morgan Stewart announces candidacy for Prince Edward Island Senate seat
http://www.ndp.ca/page/1123
Sunday, April 01, 2007
VICTORIA - In the hopes of shaming Stephen Harper's continued inaction on senatorial reform, Victoria resident Morgan Stewart has announced his intention to seek a senate seat from Prince Edward Island at the first possible electoral opportunity.
"I don't really expect to enter an election any time soon. The Senate just hasn't been reformed despite Harper's promises," said Stewart. "Stephen Harper promised an elected Senate with term limits. His bill to get term limits still isn't law let alone instituting the basic democracy of elections."
"It isn't just that I'm against people from PEI having seats in the Senate, I'm against anyone having a seat in the Senate - I'm against the Senate," said Stewart. "This is why I've decided to seek election if there ever is one. The unelected unaccountable institution of patronage should have been abolished before I was born. Instead, there are senators who have been sitting in the senate since before I was born, without ever having to face an election."
Prince Edward Island, Canada's 23rd largest island and 7th most populous, but the only one that is a province unto itself, has a population of 138,632 residents and has 8 federal representatives -- 4 seats in the House of Commons and 4 more in the Senate. Vancouver Island has a population of over 700,000 people, is Canada's 11th largest island, has the second highest population behind the Island of Montreal and has no representatives in the Senate. With a population more than 5 times that of PEI, Vancouver Island gets 6 representatives in the House of Commons. If Vancouver Islanders had the same level of representation as Prince Edward Islanders based on population they would have at least 20 Members of Parliament and 20 Senators.
"Senator Pat Carney, bless her hardened old Mulroney Conservative heart, lives 'near' Vancouver Island on Saturna Island (population 359)," continued Stewart. "From Port Hardy to Saturna Island is an equivalent travel time of driving from Toronto to Quebec City if you arrive just as the ferry to Mayne Island is leaving. If you have to wait overnight for the ferry the travel time is equivalent to driving from Toronto to Charlottetown, PEI. It isn't that Pat Carney doesn't want to represent more than just Saturna it's that the territory is so vast and it has been so long since she was elected to anything that she can't possibly do it. So, Saturna Island gets their own senator with a population of 359 people, but Vancouver Island is short more than 30 of the federal representatives it deserves."
"We have some excellent Members of Parliament from Vancouver Island, but some aren't so great," said Stewart. "How can the rest of Canada expect the 6 members of parliament to do the work of 40 PEI representatives? At the very least their riding offices should be funded for the area and population they have to serve."
The latest census makes some single Vancouver Island House of Common's ridings nearly as populous as Prince Edward Island. Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca now has a population of 120,669 and neighbouring riding Nanaimo-Cowichan now has a population of 125,149. This area in BC is represented by just 2 federal Members of Parliament. PEI has an entire provincial legislature and 8 federal representatives for an area with 55% of the population.
"My candidacy in the PEI Senatorial election may have to wait a while, as Stephen Harper doesn't seem like the kind of guy who keeps his promises. Hopefully, common sense or the House of Commons will prevail and the Senate will simply be abolished instead of a creating an elected Senate," said Stewart. "However, if the time comes for Senatorial elections in PEI, I am announcing today, that I will enter the race to be the Senator from PEI from Vancouver Island."
Stewart noted with some consternation that generally Senatorial elections, if they ever come, will likely be a provincial matter held in line with provincial elections and may require six months residency in the Province before being elected. This makes today's announcement as likely to happen as any other Stephen Harper promise.
"I don't really expect to enter an election any time soon. The Senate just hasn't been reformed despite Harper's promises," said Stewart. "Stephen Harper promised an elected Senate with term limits. His bill to get term limits still isn't law let alone instituting the basic democracy of elections."
"It isn't just that I'm against people from PEI having seats in the Senate, I'm against anyone having a seat in the Senate - I'm against the Senate," said Stewart. "This is why I've decided to seek election if there ever is one. The unelected unaccountable institution of patronage should have been abolished before I was born. Instead, there are senators who have been sitting in the senate since before I was born, without ever having to face an election."
Prince Edward Island, Canada's 23rd largest island and 7th most populous, but the only one that is a province unto itself, has a population of 138,632 residents and has 8 federal representatives -- 4 seats in the House of Commons and 4 more in the Senate. Vancouver Island has a population of over 700,000 people, is Canada's 11th largest island, has the second highest population behind the Island of Montreal and has no representatives in the Senate. With a population more than 5 times that of PEI, Vancouver Island gets 6 representatives in the House of Commons. If Vancouver Islanders had the same level of representation as Prince Edward Islanders based on population they would have at least 20 Members of Parliament and 20 Senators.
"Senator Pat Carney, bless her hardened old Mulroney Conservative heart, lives 'near' Vancouver Island on Saturna Island (population 359)," continued Stewart. "From Port Hardy to Saturna Island is an equivalent travel time of driving from Toronto to Quebec City if you arrive just as the ferry to Mayne Island is leaving. If you have to wait overnight for the ferry the travel time is equivalent to driving from Toronto to Charlottetown, PEI. It isn't that Pat Carney doesn't want to represent more than just Saturna it's that the territory is so vast and it has been so long since she was elected to anything that she can't possibly do it. So, Saturna Island gets their own senator with a population of 359 people, but Vancouver Island is short more than 30 of the federal representatives it deserves."
"We have some excellent Members of Parliament from Vancouver Island, but some aren't so great," said Stewart. "How can the rest of Canada expect the 6 members of parliament to do the work of 40 PEI representatives? At the very least their riding offices should be funded for the area and population they have to serve."
The latest census makes some single Vancouver Island House of Common's ridings nearly as populous as Prince Edward Island. Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca now has a population of 120,669 and neighbouring riding Nanaimo-Cowichan now has a population of 125,149. This area in BC is represented by just 2 federal Members of Parliament. PEI has an entire provincial legislature and 8 federal representatives for an area with 55% of the population.
"My candidacy in the PEI Senatorial election may have to wait a while, as Stephen Harper doesn't seem like the kind of guy who keeps his promises. Hopefully, common sense or the House of Commons will prevail and the Senate will simply be abolished instead of a creating an elected Senate," said Stewart. "However, if the time comes for Senatorial elections in PEI, I am announcing today, that I will enter the race to be the Senator from PEI from Vancouver Island."
Stewart noted with some consternation that generally Senatorial elections, if they ever come, will likely be a provincial matter held in line with provincial elections and may require six months residency in the Province before being elected. This makes today's announcement as likely to happen as any other Stephen Harper promise.
-30-
For more information:
Call your Senator, unless you are from Vancouver Island cause you don't have one.
Call your Senator, unless you are from Vancouver Island cause you don't have one.
Labels: alternatives, blogosphere, canada, democracy, opinion, personal story, unfolding
|
|
|
|
|
