January 15, 2015

Communist Party calls for elections to be a paid holiday

Premier Selinger’s proposal yesterday for a permanent voters list to replace the “costly” enumeration process is flawed and anti-democratic. The Premier is reported to believe that a permanent voters list will “increase voter turnout,” but facts contradict this belief.

Elections are the most important of all government spending, touching on core issues of democracy and governance. It is alarming that suddenly the two main parties in the Legislature are reportedly “eager” and “willing” to discuss or implement this proposal.

A permanent list is more likely to be inaccurate for the poor, students and discriminated groups, tilting elections in favour of the wealthy and those who face no discrimination.

The Premier needs to explain why turnout actually declined in the 2008 federal election, the first that used the National Register of Electors, to 59 per cent, the lowest in history. Studies show enumeration is better than a permanent voters list in terms of both accuracy and costs.

Inaccurate permanent lists are part of a pattern of voter suppression in North America which includes the effective disenfranchisement of about 500,000 people in Canada because of last year’s so-called Fair Elections Act.

A far better way to boost turnout is to make the provincial election a paid holiday. This would demonstrate the esteem Manitoban’s have in the electoral process.

Failure to make it a paid holiday and instead to create a permanent voters list will show how much the large parties truly value the full meaning of democracy. A full pubic discussion, with hearings across the province, are needed before “costly” enumeration is axed.

More paid holidays would also be a job-creating measure.*

Information: Darrell Rankin, Leader, Communist Party of Canada – Manitoba (204) 586-7824

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*Considering there are 250 work-days in a year, profits may decline by 1/250, or .4% because of lost production. Increased hiring to make up for this loss and to maintain market-share would boost hiring and payroll income, growing the domestic market and compensating profits in the long-run. More paid holidays (eg, International Women’s Day or International Workers’ Day) have the same economic effect as a shorter work week or reducing the pension age. The experience of Britain’s Ten-and-a-half Hours Bill (1848) and the 40 hour work week supports this contention. – DR