I normally avoid putting this much 'I' into my writing. You will see it has a purpose here.

I live in the federal electoral riding of Toronto center. My member of parliament is the defence minister Bill Graham. The New Democrat Party candidate in this election is Michael Shapcott.

If I can spend my time writing pieces like this one, I am well off relative to many residents of Toronto center. It would not take much bad luck or bad planning to make me homeless.

I have a New Democrat party member card.

I have already voted for Bill Graham in an advance poll. This was not about 'strategic voting'.

I have lived in several parts of Canada. I have in different situations supported New Democrat, Liberal, and even Conservative candidates. Sometimes I spoil the ballot, but I always vote.

I am a member of Fairvote Canada, which wants to change the voting system in Canada to make the composition of parliament reflect the popular vote. But I always vote for a candidate, not a party affiliation.

This information will send a typical New Democrat true believer into orbit. Some might want to know the reasons. For you others, my member number is 253646. Screw you.

The Reasons

I have been a New Democrat member on and off. I am one right now partly because I object to the member for the provincial parliament for Toronto Center, the Liberal health minister George Smitherman. Also, New Democrat membership can be a good way to stay informed about 'the left' in my neighbourhood. It is becoming less useful in that way since Shapcott developed a lock on the local party organisation.

Until lately this was called 'Toronto center-Rosedale'. The reason for the name change is a little 'class conflict.' That the wealthy Rosedale enclave north of Bloor street is attached to Toronto Center is no doubt part of the 'gerrymandering' of federal electoral districts. Removing Rosedale in name but not in fact is the kind of symbolic 'victory' certain types of 'left' people enjoy.

Electoral districts are usually drawn to mix poorer districts with wealthier ones. This is defended as insuring a mix of incomes in each riding. It is attacked as insuring that a wealthy elite will dominate most ridings. Its effect is to make it very hard for low income and marginalised groups to effectively represent their interests. Toronto center contains some of the worst poverty in the country, a high proportion of recent immigrants and other marginalised groups, yet has many wealthy enclaves south of Bloor street.

This is the first of five real reasons for promoting a proportional electoral system; it eliminates gerrymandering. The second real reason for proportional representation is that it eliminates the 'ward heeler' or 'representation by one' problem. Contrary to many ardent supporters of 'P.R.' and especially of a 'mixed' system, pure proportionality is not really important. A mixed system is where one bunch of 'representatives' is elected by ridings as at present and some more are chosen from party lists to achieve 'proportionality'. I say more about this below, but this piece is not just about P.R.

Bill Graham is the 'minister of war' and an evil idol to the 'peace' crowd. He has no real power over Canadian forces and defence policy. He is a graduate of Upper Canada college, as 'upper class' as it gets. But class is social, not congenital. He is a decent person who does about as well as can be done for his constituency. He serves everyone in an even handed way. His office has solved some dire problems for me.

The provincial Liberal cabinet minister in Toronto center, "Furious George" Smitherman, has an enemies list a mile long and I am on it. His office refuses to talk to me. I am sure I would get the same service from a Michael Shapcott constituency office.

It would be much better for the New Democrat party in the long term if it lost in Toronto center for as long as anyone like Shapcott is the candidate. The nominating meeting that chose him looked to me like a 'bus-in'. He did not even attend in person but sent in a video. He has built a following through the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee ( TDRC) which he can use to pack meetings.

He has been a member of the board of TDRC while collecting a salary from it. I have old fashioned ideas about that. TDRC is one of this increasing number of strange organisations which get large amounts of funding from government and private sources, but are not incorporated.

Anyone can show up at TDRC meetings and be a 'member' but there are no elections for officers of this organisation. Anyone who tries to find out how many, who, and how they are appointed is treated very roughly. I am not the only person who has been threatened with assault by Shapcott.

Presenting oneself as the spokesperson for people who have no voice is a lucrative racket. Small groups of people can get money to publicise and 'brand' themselves to an issue, in order to keep getting more money. These 'poverty pimps' help insure that the voiceless stay voiceless.

Shapcott seems to associate mainly with these 'poverty pimps'. Toronto center has a high proportion of people who are hurt by that behaviour. We know what the effect here will be in the odd chance he gets elected.

Some Philosophy about Voting.

In our present system, every election is a spin of the wheel. Anything can come up. The safest thing is a minority government. Here is the third real advantage of PR; a near guarantee of minority governments, but stable minority governments. Small changes in voting from one election to another will not produce wild changes in the composition of parliament, as with this present system.

Since you cannot predict the results of the vote, 'strategic voting' is a delusion. On your ballot will be names of candidates, not names of political parties. You will vote to choose a local ombudsman, a fixer, perhaps an influence broker; who can make things happen or not in your riding where you live. He will be very hard to get around if she decides to dislike someone or something within his area of control. But she will have no influence over federal government policy.

I talked with someone from New Zealand awhile ago about the mixed proportional system they were able to establish in that country. The 'ward heeler' problem was much reduced because every political party opened an office in each area. You can get assistance in dealing with government from a party you support, or from someone who supports you. Incumbent members of parliament have less opportunity to abuse.

Political parties have little power, because parliament has little power, because all its power is sequestered in a small executive committee of the majority governing party, which has no interest in upsetting the status quo. The fourth real reason for P.R. is that it disperses power, strengthening parliament and giving parties some power. The fifth is that it becomes easier for marginalised groups to form new political parties.

The NDP can do little for anyone. The few positive things that have come out of the last parliament for those the NDP claims to represent are the result only of the dynamics of minority government. Some provincial NDP governments have done things more harmful to people of my class than all but the worst reactionary conservative governments.

So, the only things to think about when voting in the present system are; which candidate is likely to be there for you if you are in trouble? And, which will get more public money into the community and away from the poverty pimps?

Look at the background of candidates. See which have held real jobs, and have records of community service. Community service entails doing it voluntarily and not for self promotion or other gain. As a general rule, working for a 'community agency' does not qualify as a real job, or as community service. Another bad sign is a career as a political staffer.

Good signs are; a high level of education and professional qualifications, ability to make a living as good as or better than that from political office, and in person, someone who prefers to listen rather than to talk about him/her self.

I am a long time diligent observer of how things work and you should consider my advice during this election. Impress upon all candidates you meet that change to the political system has become an urgent necessity in this country.

Ignore party affiliation and vote for the best person for you and your community. If you live in Toronto center, do not vote for Michael Shapcott.

Have a happy 2006.

TR