-> Mmmm ... the linking of an election with a constitutional  
-> referundum here in NZ was not wise - the loathing for politicians  
-> not merely kept people from voting in the election in record  
-> numbers;  it also offered a cane to use on politics for those who  
-> did vote and joined in the referundum. 
  
We'll see what happens here. I suspect that about the normal number of 
people will vote, and they'll vote for a candidate, as usual. They'll 
probably leave the other vote - the referendum - blank. 
  
-> What level of support is required in your referundum to change  
-> voting systems ? The proponents of MMP here talked in an temporary  
-> waiving of the 75% or better level that usually applies to such  
-> referenda. 
  
I assume it's 50% + 1. Nobody has mentioned anything different. The 
only experience with referenda that we've had in Canada in recent 
decades has been the ones that were held in Quebec, on the question of 
making it a separate country. If one voter more than 50% had voted 
"oui", Canada as we know it would have ceased to exit. But the majority 
voted "non". 
  
We do have something called the Clarity Act here, which was passed by 
the federal government to stop Quebec sovereignists from asking 
fuzzy-wuzzy questions in referendums, in the hope of getting a "oui" 
majority. The Act says that the question in a referendum must clearly 
state the alternatives and their consequences. Presumably, this will 
also apply here in Ontario. 
  
-> And is the proposal viewed as a constitutional reform ?   
-> Proponents tried hard here to write it off as a minor tweak, but  
-> NZ politics moved from leading the country to institutionalised  
-> `political correctness' overnight - and voters's support for  
-> specific policies became a game of blind chance and subterfuge. 
  
The Constitution is a federal concern. This referendum is provincial. 
Nothing that happens at the provincial level can change the 
Constitution, though the Constitution says that matters that are 
confined to one province are (usually) the responsibility of the 
provincial government. The provinces can be forced to bend to the 
federal will, so if things go horribly wrong after this referendum, the 
federal government may step in and fix the situation. So we have a 
possible avenue of escape that you do not. 
  
I think I'll vote "no", and then wait and see what happens. 
  
                        dow 
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