Editor:
People from all over the world come to Canada to escape extremism in their countries of origin. Remember the winter when people risked freezing to death and suffered frostbite to escape the extremism south of us? Canada is not Europe with its century-long fighting to preserve its various cultures. Canadians ask only an attitude of tolerance and respect, interest, curiosity and acceptance. Diversity is the spice of life.
Federally, all the fringe parties together account for less than one per cent of the popular vote. All three proportional systems offered require five per cent to win a seat in the legislature.
Suppose one extremist became an MLA. Isn’t it better to have the necessarily large rise of this view openly expressed rather than secretly expanding underground? When people are talking, they’re not fighting. The large parties would refuse to work with the extremist anyway, knowing if they did, they would suffer in the next election.
It is our present electoral system, FPTP, that allows extremists to win because parties can gain power and majorities with a minority of votes.
Choose the fairness, stability and strength of democracy and vote Yes to proportional representation.
Nancy Leathley, Sechelt
