A modest proposal

The American election today provides a useful reminder about the merits of the two-party system. For the last five decades, we’ve had far too many elections that produced minority governments because there are too many choices. The Alliance-Reform-Progressive Conservative liaison got rid of a few startups. We need more such consolidation.

Here’s my prescription:

1. As long as the Green Party popular vote remains in single digits, and the party has no seats, their leader cannot participate in televised debates during the election.

2. Unless the Bloc Quebecois decides to run candidates outside Quebec, BQ candidates can no longer run federally. Seventeen years is long enough to be a regional party. The Creditistes, under Real Caouette, were in Parliament for eighteen years, became a joke, and finally petered out. The Bloc needs to be drummed out.

3. New Democratic Party seat totals have fluctuated between 13 and 37 over the last five elections. Time to fold the tent that was never very big anyway. If Bob Rae can become a Liberal, so can the rest of that merry band.

After allowing 10 per cent of the popular vote for fringe candidates, that would leave a Conservative Party and a Liberal Democratic party (for lack of a better name) fighting for 90 per cent. By playing in such a ball park, some team is sure to win a majority, thereby bringing stability to the land.

Without some such action, we’ll become like Italy with its more than sixty governments since the Second World War. Italy without the sunshine and stylish good times.