Although perhaps time for change in government anyway, I nevertheless think Canada's "first-past-the-post" system is almost a contradiction of democracy – where less than 40 per cent of the vote can form a majority government.
The argument from critics of proportional representation is that government wouldn't be able to pass decisions, which isn't necessarily the case for many other countries where this voting model is implemented. Proportional representation is the purest form of democracy, where people can vote for smaller parties if they wish to, there's no need for so-called "strategic voting," and the government is representative of all political stripes.
That said, Stephen Harper did an excellent job over the past decade amidst uncertain times – but I welcome this new season under Justin Trudeau. I encourage us traditionally “blue” Albertans not to judge the innocent until proven guilty. Trudeau’s going to do fine.
Craig Walker, St. Albert
