Representative government necessary

Re: “Dosanjh: Say no to ‘proportional’,” June 29. I see democracy as a system in which the votes of the people translate into representation in government in close relation to their shares of the vote. Many believe in a different kind of “democracy,” in which two main parties contend for power and the one that gets the most votes wins majority power.

This system, first past the post, often leads to a situation such as that in the U.S., where two corrupt parties vie for power and ensure other voices are not heard. This leads to voter apathy, as attested by the low turnouts of eligible voters in the U.S.

Opponents of PR argue that it leads to unstable governments. A stable unrepresentative government is perhaps desirable for some, but we live in a time when there are major problems we must contend with: pressures and interference from the U.S., global warming, fossil-fuel extraction and export, sea levels rising, etc.

We need a government that reflects how the Canadian electorate demands we respond. If we have a government that fails to respond in that way, we might face a situation in which violent reactions ensue. Of course, such reactions can occur if a government is faced by a violent minority, but it will be better able to respond if the majority of the electorate feel that they are fairly represented and support the government. Edwin E. Daniel Victoria