AlolanVulpix

They were quite happy to have these nutjobs as prominent parts of their team when they were at the top of the polls

That was the plan all along. Right-wing populism, and directing the anger away from big corporations to the Liberals.

I share your conflicted feelings about Trudeau's legacy. The electoral reform betrayal wasn't just another broken promise - it was indeed a "cynical, partisan betrayal of the nation" that continues to damage our democracy.

Your point about Trudeau choosing to "rule rather than represent" cuts to the heart of the issue. When he had a historic opportunity to strengthen Canadian democracy, he prioritized partisan advantage over democratic principles.

I completely agree that this failure has fueled the very anti-establishment sentiments threatening our core values. When millions feel their votes don't matter, democratic legitimacy suffers.

What's particularly frustrating, as you noted, is that even after Trudeau evolved enough to acknowledge his mistake, he still made no effort to correct it. His 2024 admission that Liberals were "deliberately vague" about electoral reform reveals this wasn't just motivated reasoning but calculated deception.

In a democracy, citizens deserve representation. Trudeau's failure to deliver that basic principle will remain a significant stain on his legacy.

By "independent", that means free from undue influence from other branches of government

Security clearances can play an important role in our electoral system, but must be carefully designed. If failing a clearance disqualifies candidates, then several critical safeguards must be in place.

The clearance process must be:

• Administered by a truly independent, non-partisan body with clear oversight
• Completely transparent in its methodology and criteria
• Applied equally to all candidates regardless of party affiliation
• Subject to meaningful appeal mechanisms through our courts
• Protected against partisan manipulation
• Focused only on legitimate security concerns (foreign influence, corruption)

Having the intelligence arm of the government administer clearances without independent oversight creates dangerous potential for abuse. Intelligence agencies should provide information, but final determinations should be made by a body insulated from political pressure from the executive or legislative branches.

As for your second question about electoral reform - the math is clear. Neither the Liberals nor Conservatives have demonstrated genuine interest in proportional representation. The Liberals have repeatedly promised reform (since 1919!) only to abandon it once in power. Trudeau's explicit admission that they were "deliberately vague" to appeal to electoral reform advocates speaks volumes.

The only parties consistently supporting proportional representation are the Green🟢/NDP🟧/Bloc⚜️. None may form a majority government under our current system precisely because FPTP systematically disadvantages smaller parties.

That's the catch-22 of electoral reform: the parties that benefit from the broken system have no incentive to fix it. This is why focusing on principled candidates who support PR, regardless of their chance of forming government, is so important.

Remember, in a democracy, citizens are deserving of and entitled to representation in government. Only PR can dependably deliver that.

Big corporations just buy up all our information networks. Here is a list of acquisition resistant, Canadian Owned and operated media.

Here is a list of acquisition resistant, Canadian Owned and Operated media.

Big corporations just buy up all our information networks. Here is a list of acquisition resistant, Canadian Owned and operated media.

I don't know what to say, that's just the way they wanted to run their business.

Reminder big corporations just buy up all our information networks. Here is a list of acquisition resistant, Canadian Owned and operated media.

If you're concerned that Placespeak isn't Canadian: here is Placespeak's B Corp profile. Their headquarters is in BC.

I think so long as there are content moderation policies that focus on misinformation, then they're ok. But that's challenging sometimes, and not always practical.

Or force them to drop the “news” word from their branding and descriptions

Yes! News should be a legally regulated term, just like engineer, lawyer, or physician.

Thanks! I truly believe proportional representation is critical for Canadian democracy. I voluntarily do this advocacy!