Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2007-11-15 15:50:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Ms. Catherine Bell",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"769823\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, yes, I had the opportunity to put forward a private member's bill in the last session and the one I chose was electoral reform. I chose electoral reform because it is something that is fundamental to how members are elected.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769824\" data-originallang=\"en\">Many British Columbians went through a process of meetings and discussions over a period of a year. We made presentations to a committee that was struck by the provincial government to talk about electoral reform. People began to understand that there were problems with our electoral system and they wanted to make changes. Come election day, when the referendum was on the ballot, after the votes were counted we found that 57% of British Columbians wanted to change the voting system.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769825\" data-originallang=\"en\">I know the voting system that was put forward by the provincial government was not necessarily the system that everyone wanted, but because 57% of people voted for it tells me that they want some sort of a change. When we have that many people in my province wanting to see a change in their voting system, it is significant, and that translates federally as well. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769826\" data-originallang=\"en\">I know Ontario just went through the same kind of process and the percentage was not as high but I think it was a different system. Ontario did not have the same kind of citizens assembly that B.C. had, where people were able to learn about the changes. Sometimes all it takes is educating people.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769827\" data-originallang=\"en\">In the motion I put forward, I wanted to ask Canadians how they would like to see their voting system changed. I received a lot of letters and petitions from people all across the country agreeing that we should have some kind of debate in this country, a citizens assembly that would reach out to the grassroots and talk to Canadians, not the sham of a process that we had with one meeting in each province to basically talk about Senate reform.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769828\" data-originallang=\"en\">That is something that would have changed the look of Parliament. It would have opened up the doors to people, especially young people who do not vote in great numbers. That is one of the least represented demographics at voting time. If we had some kind of system where people felt their votes actually counted, they might be more willing to participate.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"769823\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, j'ai effectivement eu l'occasion de pr\u00e9senter un projet de loi d'initiative parlementaire pendant la derni\u00e8re session, en l'occurrence le projet de loi sur la r\u00e9forme \u00e9lectorale. J'ai choisi ce projet de loi parce qu'il s'agit d'un \u00e9l\u00e9ment fondamental du processus gr\u00e2ce auquel les d\u00e9put\u00e9s sont \u00e9lus.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769824\" data-originallang=\"en\">De nombreux citoyens de la Colombie-Britannique ont particip\u00e9 \u00e0 un processus de r\u00e9unions et de discussions qui s'est \u00e9tal\u00e9 sur un an. Nous avons pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 des expos\u00e9s devant un comit\u00e9 qui avait \u00e9t\u00e9 cr\u00e9\u00e9 par le gouvernement provincial pour examiner la question de la r\u00e9forme \u00e9lectorale. Les gens ont commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 r\u00e9aliser qu'il y avait des probl\u00e8mes dans notre syst\u00e8me \u00e9lectoral et ils ont d\u00e9cid\u00e9 d'y apporter des changements. Le jour du scrutin, o\u00f9 il fallait \u00e9galement se prononcer sur la question du pl\u00e9biscite, nous avons constat\u00e9, apr\u00e8s le d\u00e9compte, que 57 p. 100 des Britanno-Colombiens \u00e9taient en faveur d'une modification du syst\u00e8me \u00e9lectoral.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769825\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je sais que le syst\u00e8me \u00e9lectoral qui avait \u00e9t\u00e9 mis en place par le gouvernement provincial n'\u00e9tait pas n\u00e9cessairement celui qui r\u00e9pondait aux d\u00e9sirs de tout le monde. Cependant, comme 57 p. 100 des gens ont vot\u00e9 en ce sens, je ne peux que conclure qu'ils souhaitent certains changements. Lorsqu'un aussi grand nombre de citoyens de ma province s'attendent \u00e0 ce que le syst\u00e8me \u00e9lectoral soit modifi\u00e9, c'est significatif, m\u00eame \u00e0 l'\u00e9chelle f\u00e9d\u00e9rale.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769826\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je sais que l'Ontario vient d'exp\u00e9rimenter un processus semblable. Le pourcentage des votes y \u00e9tait moins \u00e9lev\u00e9 que dans ma province, mais je pense que le syst\u00e8me ontarien est diff\u00e9rent. En Ontario, il n'y a pas ces assembl\u00e9es citoyennes que nous avons en Colombie-Britannique, o\u00f9 les citoyens peuvent \u00eatre inform\u00e9s des changements. Souvent, tout ce qu'il faut, c'est \u00e9duquer la population.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769827\" data-originallang=\"en\">Dans la motion que j'ai pr\u00e9sent\u00e9e, je voulais demander aux Canadiens quels changements ils souhaiteraient voir apporter \u00e0 leur syst\u00e8me \u00e9lectoral. J'ai re\u00e7u beaucoup de lettres et de p\u00e9titions de tous les coins du pays, de citoyens me disant qu'il faudrait tenir un d\u00e9bat national sur cette question, une assembl\u00e9e citoyenne qui s'adresserait au peuple, aux Canadiens, et non pas un semblant de processus comme l'unique r\u00e9union qui a eu lieu dans chaque province afin de discuter essentiellement de la r\u00e9forme du S\u00e9nat. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"769828\" data-originallang=\"en\">Un tel d\u00e9bat aurait transfigur\u00e9 le Parlement. Il aurait ouvert les portes \u00e0 la population, en particulier aux jeunes, qui ne votent pas en tr\u00e8s grand nombre. En fait, c'est la couche d\u00e9mographique la moins repr\u00e9sent\u00e9e au moment des \u00e9lections. Si les \u00e9lecteurs avaient l'impression que leur vote compte vraiment, ils seraient beaucoup plus enclins \u00e0 participer.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2007/11/15/catherine-bell-3/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/403/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/332/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "2199033",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Oral Questions",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Canada Elections Act",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2007/11/15/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2007%2F11%2F15%2F"
    }
}